Muder Marks
by Rival Turk
Summary: Reno realizes his tattoos aren't as acceptable as they used to be.
1. Part 1 of 2

MURDER MARKS

Preface

I had always wanted to be a Turk. And hey, don't get me wrong! It had its ups. I got respect, a great partner, lots of pretty women; especially after the whole "save the world" thing. Oh, yeah, and free booze. Anywhere I went drinks were on the house. Well, except for the Seventh Heaven. No surprise there.

Anyway, perks for Turks, definitely. But sometimes, you have to write your own story…

DAY THREE

A low rumble was heard in the distance from the shabby back room of the bar. A little girl sat next to her friend, humming as she braided her doll's hair. She paused for a second, seeming to cock her ear, to get an indication of what the noise may be. Even the clock seemed to pause with her. She glanced at an open notebook on the table with disdain. She was supposed to be doing her homework, like her Aunt had told her. But she hated school. She sometimes wished secretly that the world would be in chaos again, just so she wouldn't have to do homework.

The rumble got louder, turning to a low, constant thrum. She gasped in delight. She stared wide-eyed at her best friend for a moment before letting out a childish squeal and launching out of her chair. It sea-sawed for a moment and then clattered to the floor. The doll that had been so lovingly groomed slumped over; as was the custom anytime that noise came around. A full flight of stairs was no obstacle for the tiny thing as the thrum died off into a cackled purr, then went silent. She careened with her caretaker but quickly recovered.

She made it to the door just as it fell open, and with a sort of earned habit, threw her arms around two muscular legs clad all in black.

"Well, look who's home from school."

"Yep!" She gave a full grin, despite the fact that her front two teeth were newly missing.

"We missed you, Cloud." The warm feminine voice came up from behind the girl, and she was smart enough to stand aside from the inevitable—being scrunched into a pancake when Tifa's arms went around him.

The hug lasted longer than normal, and to Marlene's great satisfaction, she realized it was Cloud's doing. "I got back as soon as I could," he responded, letting his right hand linger at her back as long as possible. "But you know how demanding Wutai has been lately."

"It worries me," Tifa replied slowly. "Do you think it has something to do with that girl you saved yesterday?"

Cloud shrugged. Ever since the rumor had gotten out that Jenova's finger was found in the dig site near the ancient city, people had been ordering a lot of weapons. Everyone was jumpy and paranoid, especially the Shinra. He had recently rescued a village girl who had been attacked by them. Poor families were spending the last dimes they had to pay for arms. It didn't surprise him that Wutai had been ordering more than necessary. No one wanted to see Sephiroth one more time without somehow managing to blow his head off. Not to mention if NEW SOLDIER continued to harass their town people, they were going to be ready to battle, he imagined. He had to admit he would feel the same in their position. Pure terror had rarely gripped his heart….but the last time he saw the self-appointed "one-winged angel" his senses were overloaded with it. "They're just getting ready for the worst." He tried to take a step forward, but Marlene had glued herself to his side again. He picked her up easily and bodily carried her over to a nearby table, where he sat for a drink. "Don't you have schoolwork?"

"Nope!" Marlene said.

"Yes," Tifa accusingly barked at the same time. She sighed. "Do you think the rumors are true, Cloud?"

His eyes darkened. "I don't know. But if they are, I'll be ready, too." He glanced at a movement in the corner and saw Denzel coming down the stairs. "Hey."

The boy looked up sourly. He had been that way for a while. Sour, depressed, even angry at times. When he had explained to Cloud why, the ex-soldier had felt his blood chill inside. He wished he knew what was exactly wrong. It was a bit disturbing that he couldn't help him. He used to be a bright-eyed kid. "Hey."

"Did you walk Marlene home?"

"Don't I always?" he barked. Cloud fairly jolted. Denzel was not short on surprises, lately. Only a year had passed since the geostigma incident, but sometimes it felt like the boy was mature and tough enough to enlist in the NEW SOLDIER army. He wished he could help. If the geostigma wasn't enough….now this! "Come on, Marlene. If you do your homework I'll play Turks and Raiders with you tonight."

She grinned, unaware of the downside of that bribe. "Okay!" She fairly leapt out of Cloud's lap and hurried up the stairs with her friend.

Cloud eyed the stairs suspiciously as his fiancé set a drink before him. "Did I see a bruise on his eye?"

Tifa slid into the chair beside him, sadly. "They all know he's different, Cloud. They give him such a hard time." She shrugged in remorse, shaking her head. "They say such terrible things."

"It's only because they don't understand him." He took a long sip of the drink, aware that she was watching him intensely. He smiled only slightly, touching her fingers lightly with his gloved hand. "I owe you everything."

She grinned, mood changing suddenly. "You're right."

He was just leaning in when the door banged open suddenly. Cloud spun, sword in hand, pushing Tifa behind him with the other. His senses, flushed with radical Mako, burned hotly inside of him. He drew back for the strike. He stopped just short of severing the Turk's head from his shoulders.

"What are you doing here?" he barked irritably. They may have aided in saving the world, but he didn't exactly trust them, yet. The only people he was carrying more equipment to than the Wutai were the Shinra. Thoughts of them rebuilding the Shinra empire often plagued his mind, and he never liked the idea.

The redheaded Turk panted, swallowing hard. His lip was bleeding. "I can't believe I'm saying this, buddy," he told him, extending his hand in a friendly gesture, "but I need your help."

'**I** need your help?' Cloud glanced over Reno's shoulder, blade at the ready. "Where's your partner?"

"I came alone."

It was obvious that Reno was shaken. That was something that never happened. Reno always managed to keep his cocky sense of humor, even on his deathbed. And he never did anything for the Shinra independently….that he knew of. He took a glance at Reno's attire: Sloppy, even for him; dirty, a hole in his knee, a swollen, bleeding left eye, and a deep scratch along his chest. He was wild-eyed and anxious. Cloud slowly lowered his sword. He nodded. "Take a seat."

DAY ONE

Wutai hadn't changed much; even through two near end-of-the-world experiences. Maybe that's part of why I went there so much. It was simple, not like Midgar or Costa del Sol or even Mount Nibel, which had recently become a tourist attraction on the southern slopes of "Sephiroth's mountain". People here took life one day at a time and didn't care to do much besides that.

I would be lying if I said that's **why** I came, though…

Reno waltzed in with an arrogant flair and threw himself into his normal spot—far end table, away from the entrance, back to the bar. "The usual, baby, I'm parched!" He called out in his usual lackadaisical voice. He hadn't even seen her, yet, but he knew she was there.

They had started talking three years ago, when he was off on sick leave; Just after Cloud, Tifa, and Barrett had kicked the snot out of him in Sector Seven. She was charming and funny and kind and….well, even if she hadn't been all that….extremely pretty. It was enough to keep him coming to Wutai over and over again. They had their ups and downs, though. One of the downs was that her father claimed to resent the Shinra, and when he found out that she was dating one, he used excessive force to convince her otherwise; Which Reno found out about and retaliated by slamming his head into a wall—six times. Oh, they had gotten into a huge argument about that one. But she viewed it as her responsibility to take care of him, especially since (as she said) he was her father by choice and not by nature. Apparently he had found her in Midgar years ago and raised her as his own. In any case, Reno noticed the new bruises never stopped and neither did she. She was always so damned supportive!

Then again, even though he hated her mistreatment, he viewed it as a chance to show her he was her knight in shining armor. All the while, he never lost his edge or his stupid dry sense of humor. Even after he had nearly killed her father a while back, he never lost his cocky grin.

He had kept her secret for all three years. If the company knew he had a 'distraction', he would have lost his job. And he wasn't about to give up his compensation! There had been close calls, however. One time when he was busy, Rude answered his phone for him. He raised one eyebrow, staring at Reno. "Strawberry!" He bellowed aloud. "Who the…?" Reno had launched himself at the phone before Rude could figure it out. He hung up with a nervous chuckle, saying it was a new call sign. Rude had given him a "Sure, like I really believe you," look and walked out. Another time, he took her to Costa Del Sol and ran into Reeve in the dressing room. Once, she waved at him from a crowd and made a kissy-face during a parade. Despite all that, no one had caught on and she was still his little secret.

A little secret that apparently didn't hear him come into the door. "Hey, Avera, did you hear? I'm one thirsty hunk 'o man in here!" He paused, chuckling to himself. His face fell when he got no reply. Where was his kiss? Where was his cute little bar maid in the halter-top? Where was his Lifestream Flush? "Avera?" He stood, wrist flexing instinctively, as if he already had the shock-rod in his hand.

As he walked behind the bar, he thought of his first date with her: Costa Del Sol. The way she wiggled out of that swim cover-up….his flesh bristled at the memory. His lips flinched into a grin. Oh, yeah; That was nice, wasn't it? Okay, she wasn't behind the bar. He paused, blue eyes scanning the room. Could she be playing a prank on him? Was that it? She had tackled him one time when he walked in. Oh, that was nice, too! His lips twisted again and he caught himself smirking. As he was thinking about that one, he heard a soft mumble in the kitchen behind him. So she must be playing a trick on him! She was probably back there whispering to Yuffie about how they would jump him again. He grinned some more, putting his hand to the doorknob.

Another memory came: The Golden Saucer. He had taken her there the same night Cloud and his gang came. They never ran into each other, thankfully, although he was called off early to assist Reeve in his little Cait Sith subterfuge. In any case, Reno had decided nothing was sexier to a woman than watching a man play nice with the big dumb animals. He climbed into the chocobo stable, (her fussing the whole time about it not being a good idea), and fell flat into a pile of choco-crap bigger than the wheels on a truck. After a long shower and intense humiliation, he took her on the gondola. He had managed to get his first kiss. Unfortunately, the car jerked to a halt just as they were getting the swing of it, and he nearly flew over her head. Oh, yeah, she had laughed her pretty head off at him that whole evening. But he quickly found out comedy worked for him, and he began using it at every opportunity. Just wait until he saw her this time….

He swung open the door with his cocky half-grin on his mouth. It didn't last long.

He was over the top of the overturned refrigerator and dented stove in about two seconds, picking her up gently from the shattered remains of glasses and serving plates; utensils littered the floor like confetti. She moaned a little when he moved her. He licked his top lip, drawing her pale blonde hair out of her face. He swallowed at the bruises there. "Avera," he forced.

Her green eyes fluttered a bit. "Reno?"

"Who, Avera?" His eyes flashed in anger, thinking of how he was going to kill her father as soon as he got her to safety.

She shook her head ever so slightly and brushed his jaw with her fingertips. A smile flickered for a brief second in recognition and then faded. "Soldier," she muttered. That's all she could say before she faded again.

Rufus Shinra was busy. It was true that he was busier since the last Jenova incident, but it wasn't just with "rebuilding the world". No, nothing so serene and docile. He sat behind the scientist before him, listening to him rant and rave over the progress they were making. Truthfully, most of it went between his ears with no impact in the middle. It was a miracle in itself that the scientist was even around. It was even more amazing that he was willing to work after all the rumors going around about Jenova's finger. Not only was that supposed to be classified, but it wasn't even enough for the world to be panicked with. The finger was so old and decayed it wouldn't have been a threat anyway. The real threat came a year before—if you could call it a threat. "I don't care about that," he snapped at him. "Will it work or not?"

"We need a specimen," the scientist replied simply.

Rufus nodded to himself thoughtfully. "I suppose we can isolate the Jenova isotope in one of those kids."

The scientist chuckled to himself. "I have a better idea," he replied. "Use a clone."

The president smirked at him. "Clone? Oh, I suggest we politely ask Cloud Strife to surrender to a painful procedure that, if successful, means Shinra is rebuilt and regains ultimate power. Maybe we should pay him. Then he'll come willingly."

"Not that clone," he replied, laughing even more hysterically. "Another failed experiment."

He was losing his patience. He glared at him.

"I've already sent some of NEW SOLDIER to retrieve the clone. They should be back shortly."

"If it is a docile Sephiroth clone," he argued, "It is a mistake to send NEW SOLDIER. Especially these new cadets—they aren't the soldiers we remember. We should send the Turks. They've never lost their edge."

"If we send them," he replied, unblinkingly, "we risk revealing the secret. They are smarter than these new cadets."

Rufus pressed his lips together, and then nodded. "Very well. But the last thing I need is another Sephiroth on the loose. It doesn't shine well in the Tabloids. Take every precaution necessary."

DAY TWO

No matter what I say or do, she's always there. When I fought Cloud, she was there. When we fought Loz and Yazoo, she was there. When we blew them up…Hmm. I'm beginning to see why President Shinra always considered outside relationships to be detrimental. Then again, she gave me this kind of spiritual fuel; a strange energy.

I didn't know what I would do if she were threatened; if she were in danger of being taken from me. Maybe that's why it happened…

She was unlocking the doors to the bar. The breeze in Wutai was cool and inviting, yet strangely ominous. She felt jittery. Something seemed to brush by her, in her mind. She spun to attack but saw no one but the village elders waiting for their daily weaponry shipment. She paused, touching the bruise on her face, watching the suspicious stares of the elders. She shivered. If they knew, was it possible that others knew, too? Was that why NEW SOLDIER…? Without a second thought, she shoved the idea to the back of her mind and opened the bar door.

The elders were staring at the bar the girl had just entered when Cloud pulled up. They gave him the usual friendly greeting, which he usually didn't care for. He shot them a brief wary glance as he began backing away, letting them shuffle through their order.

"Can we get you anything?"

Cloud's Mako-born eyes looked away from one of the elders. "No."

"Are you sure? We have excellent drinks here, sir. Many people visit for a special kind—a….uh….Lifestream Flush, I think she calls it. Reno the Turk comes here for them often."

His eyes narrowed and shifted back to the elder. He wanted nothing to do with the Turks, although Reno was the most acceptable of the four. "No, thank you."

Right about that time, there was a crash, and all turned to see a man flying through a now-shattered window. By the look of his uniform, he was one of NEW SOLDIER. Cloud's curiosity and sense of foul play got the best of him. Excitement pumped through his veins like mad. Without hesitation, he dove into the bar to investigate. As he crashed through the door, sword in hand, he took it all in: One man in a white coat disappearing through the back door, twenty-odd NEW SOLDIER attacking one woman, who fell to her knees before Cloud. She looked up in despair, and he knew it was his turn to fight.

From the moment she heard the door slam and rock off the hinges, she knew her salvation had come. She expected it to be a redhead in a black suit, but she fell to her knees before Cloud Strife himself. With a cool glance, he took it all in and began fighting them off. It took all of about a minute before they realized they were outnumbered and took off. Cloud turned to her. He hadn't even broken a healthy sweat. "Are you alright?" He asked, checking her over briefly.

She grinned. "Of…of course! That was amazing! Thanks a lot!"

He pointed a finger at her face. "They injured you?"

"What? No," she traced a finger over her cheekbone. "That's from yesterday."

His eyes went sharp and clear. "Yesterday?"

She frowned. She had forgotten whom she was talking to. He was the hero the world over knew and loved. To get him involved in this would be frivolous and petty. Besides, the last thing the Wutai elders wanted was publicity. They didn't even like the fact that Reno came every other day. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get you involved. They've been here two days in a row. I don't know what they want. But they don't want drinks." She sighed, waiting for him to shrug it off and leave. Instead, he stared at her coolly and curiously. He seemed intrigued by her. She felt it, too. A strange familiarity came rushing over her, but she couldn't quite place it. It was like looking at a person you never met and wondering if you had. "Sorry. I wish I knew what they wanted."

"You should be more careful," he finally replied.

"I know." She shook her left shoulder, feeling the tenderness there. The last one had hit her with some sort of stick.

Cloud took in the broken tables and smashed window, and then looked back to her. She was slightly shorter than him, slender-built but somewhat solid. Built like him except for much more feminine curves. She was strikingly pretty: large green eyes, pale blonde hair, long eyelashes, curved brow, full lips. A faint scar touched her right eyebrow. Something about her was so strikingly familiar it made him nervous. Giving her one last sweeping—almost accusing—glance, he turned to leave.

"Cloud…"

He stopped at the doorway and looked over his shoulder at her.

"You…." She paused, as if wanting to reconsider, and then continued. "You wouldn't happen to know why, would you?"

"If I did," he assured her, "I would stop it." He paused. That wasn't much of a comfort to her, he imagined. Besides the fact that he didn't know why he would volunteer to get involved in a thing like that in the first place. He considered that for a moment. Then he suggested, "You should probably leave town."

Her face fell. "You're not the first person to tell me that. I'll consider it. Thanks."

Cloud Strife walked out of the bar as suddenly as he had walked in. She turned, brushing her pretty hair away from her eyes, as she surveyed the damage. "What a mess." Only one thing to do: She made her way over to the phone with a sense of dread and dialed in the number.

"Reno? It's Avera. I'm fine….No, really, but…."

Her eyes skimmed the bar. "It's happened again."

Reno came tearing into the Wutai bar as if Bahamut was after him personally. Wild-eyed, he gazed around the nearly tidy bar. He caught sight of Yuffie first, grumbling something about not being a janitor, but a famous ninja. "Yuffie!" He grabbed her by the arm.

"Yipes, Reno!" She griped. "She's over there! Jeez!" With an irritated gesture, she jerked herself away. Apparently she had always held the same high opinion of him as the rest of her save-the-world companions.

Reno caught sight of his girl wrapping up some broken glass beside the bathroom door. He walked up to her slowly, as if she weren't really there and his eyes were playing tricks on him. Besides, he didn't know what he was going to say when he finally got there.

She caught sight of him immediately. Her eyes sparkled and she grinned ear-to-ear, as if nothing extraordinary had happened at all. "Hey, Turkey. What's up?"

Turkey was his nickname given him just recently. He hated it. The cute little ring along with the implications often made him want to keel over and vomit. But he never objected very strongly, as she said it, and her voice made everything just a bit more acceptable. The idea of her giving him a nickname also gave him an egocentric tingle that he loved. He wasn't in the mood for that, though. She could tell immediately by the blue-eyed glare he gave her. "What's up! Oh, you know—flying from Midgar to pass the time and decided to swing by Wutai to see if my overly-popular girlfriend was dead or not. You know—the usual."

She suddenly got irritated. She stood to face him. "I called you, didn't I?"

"You could have left like I told you to do."

"You know I have to take care of my father!" She shot back.

"Oh right! Your crazy, drunk old man. Hmm. I could be wrong, but it seems like you may be a sucker for punishment." He knew he was yelling, but he couldn't seem to stop. Reno had, among other things, a very hot temper.

She advanced, getting right into his face. "Don't blame me for this! It's your stupid company that wants to beat me black and blue lately!"

Yuffie jumped in right about that time with something about bringing the next meteor down on their heads with all the noise, but Reno had already stopped. He took that like a bucket of cold water right in his face.

She immediately regretted it. She gave him an apologetic look. "Reno—I'm sorry. I'm shaken up, that's all."

He didn't respond at first; he sat motionless in the closest upright seat. Jenova. The "Sephiroth gene". Geostigma. Is that why he…? My company, my president…my fault. He felt a hand on his shoulder, which broke through his thoughts. It was Avera, all bruised up but as gorgeous as ever. "It's my fault," he told her.

"What? Reno, no…."

"Yes, it is. I could have stopped him. I should have." He shook his head. "I was too busy being a damned Turk."

Her eyes searched his. "What do you mean?"

He thought to himself for a minute. Company secrets were things he had sworn to keep, under penalty of severe punishment. But never in his life had he thought anything like this would happen. He was so wrapped up in the Shinra advances, the rebuilding of Shinra, and the training of NEW SOLDIER. He had made friends with the kids, and was sure that the rebuilding of their world was more important than any ethical reasons why the Jenova cells shouldn't be used for a mutually beneficial purpose. He looked up at her, thinking over and over of the oath he took when he became a Turk. Then with a forced smile, he took her hand. "I can't tell you. Classified company stuff. But don't worry. I'm going to figure it all out, okay?"

She stared at him hesitantly, and then her eyes dropped to his hand in hers. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Oh, yeah."

With no warning, she leaned over and gave him a quick smack on the mouth. His skin seemed to jump off of him when she did that. He savored the sensation as he stared up into her eyes. He couldn't wipe that dopey smirk off of his face. He imagined he looked ridiculous. She took a lock of his hair in her thumb and forefinger and shook it back and forth playfully. "You're a real great guy, you know that?"

"Hey, I'm a Turk, remember? I'll get to the bottom of it. That's what I do." Yeah, along with murdering people.

By the look of fear and sadness in her eyes, he could tell he just didn't quite convince her. It didn't matter. He didn't convince himself, either.

Rude, Tseng, and Elena stood alone before the president. He looked up from his paperwork. "Where's Reno?"

Tseng and Elena, as if on cue, looked at Rude. Naturally, Rude would know before anyone where Reno was and where he was going. They were partners, and more than that—they were friends. 'Best buds,' as Reno had said one time. In his usual cool, nonchalant manner, he replied: "He called in sick a few hours ago."

"In the middle of the day?" Elena wondered aloud.

Tseng smirked. "Twenty gil says he's hung over."

The president cleared his throat. All turned to him a tad guiltily. "We'll have to continue without him, then." He stood and stretched his legs, walking gamely across the room. Just a year ago and he couldn't even stand. The treatments had certainly worked magic for him. "The latest project Shinra has adopted requires a viable, living specimen. We have sent NEW SOLDIER several times, but they have returned empty-handed."

"And now it's the Turks' turn," Tseng offered. "Where do we need to go?"

"A word of caution, first," The president replied. "This specimen has the strongest cluster of Jenova cells we have seen since Kadaj. They are equal in strength, we suspect, to Cloud Strife himself. She's also a….rowdy…fighter. Use extreme caution."

Tseng nodded, but the caution hadn't fazed him. He knew they could handle it. "Where, sir?"

He looked out the window, hand falling to his side. "Wutai."

Reno had finally convinced her to leave. He told her that dear old dad could handle things for two measly days while he figured out why his company was trying to kill her. She agreed. He glanced at his watch as he stepped out of the chopper. She was supposed to be packing up a few things right now. He was going to make a few phone calls and then he would be back for her. He assured her it would be quick. He had already stopped by his house to get it "guest worthy". Right now, he was half-jogging out of the landing bay, sliding his card through the sensors without thinking.

It was only a few moments later when he heard Rufus Shinra's voice call him. He fairly back-peddled from heading into Rude's office. "Yes, sir."

"Feeling better?" He was down the hallway a bit, staring at him coolly.

Reno half-grinned, trying to keep his nervous embarrassment down. The last thing he needed was to go on probation….again. "Heh-heh. Yeah. It's the strangest thing, ya know…."

"I'm sure. I sent Rude out on assignment. He's not in his office."

"Oh." His face fell. He was sort-of hoping to get Rude's help. "Okay. Well, if there's nothing else, I think I'll call it a day."

Rufus never lost his cool. "There is, actually. Why don't you walk with me?"

"Oh. Yes sir. Heh-heh." Darn it! He stepped up beside the president. As he glanced at his watch again, Shinra began to talk.

"I'm sorry you were ill. I wanted to send you on the same assignment. Despite some past disciplinary situations, you know you are the next in line to be Turk One, correct?" He didn't need an affirmative. Reno knew he was good. He bragged on it all the time. "Though you have a roguish edge, I believe I can trust you. You are loyal to me, and this company. To show my gratitude, I'm letting you in on our newest operation."

Yawn! Jeez, if he doesn't shut up, I'm never going to get to Wutai in time to pick Avera up!

"Look, Reno. Only a year ago, I couldn't walk. Do you remember what healed me?"

Everyone does, hot shot. You won't let them forget. You go on and on endlessly about it. He tried to hide his boredom, more for job security than politeness. "Jenova cells, sir."

"Correct. But if the world knew that they would oust me, possibly destroy me. We know what's in the best interest of the world, though, even if they don't. You've always kept our world's interest at heart. Can I trust you to continue?"

What in the heck is he going on about? "Of course."

"Good." The elevator stopped and the doors slid open. They were in the science wing, third floor—the lab. Just before them were the two double doors leading in. "Ironic, isn't it, Reno, that along with the calamity of Geostigma came glorious healing. The geostigma racking my damaged body with pain, yet healing the damage from weapon's attack. And the power of the Cetra took away all the misery of the stigma. But the work wasn't complete, remember? That's when I decided to use our stash of cells we hid from Kadaj….and now I can walk! I feel so….healthy!"

Reno seemed to look through him. Why do big wigs ramble so much? I've been away from Wutai for seven hours now. Avera's gonna think I'm dead. Well, I guess I will be if he keeps boring me to death.

"So I began thinking: What if we combined the power of Jenova with the ancients? Think of the strength, Reno! The wisdom of the two greatest forces we've ever known working together! What do you think?"

He looked up from his watch guiltily. He had been half-listening. He had managed somehow to get the gist of the last part. "Well, sir, I'm no scientist, but I don't think it could ever work. If you tried it, it would probably kill you." Be glad you can walk again instead of trying to fly.

Rufus smiled pleasantly. "We thought that, too. But an exceptional scientist—an old friend of ours—thought he could remove the incompatible chromosomes that would cause them to deteriorate. However, testing it would be risky and painful. We needed a specimen." He chuckled. "She put up quite a fight, but we finally got her a few hours ago."

He suddenly felt dizzy and sick. He had a really bad feeling. His eyes went round. "You…you did what, sir?"

"See for yourself." With a calm smile, he opened the doors and let Reno in. They walked in about twelve feet until they rounded the back of a huge cryo-chamber. From the metal lining on the back, he was given a few more seconds of bliss, without pain or fear or worry. But when he came around the front, all those bad feelings were confirmed. At the sight of the love of his life floating there, face pinched in pain, the room spun in circles and his knees went weak.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" He heard Rufus say from what seemed like miles. "She's our chance of really rebuilding."

Behind the glass, one small hand was stretched out; The hand that sported the oversized Turk ring. She seemed to be reaching for him even though her eyes were closed. Reno caught himself barely reaching out in return, as if he could possibly pull her out of the nightmare. He lost cohesion for a moment and simply fell against the glass; it was unbearably cold to the touch. So cold it was, in fact, that he pulled back in amazement, swaggering the other way.

"Are you still sick, Reno?"

He swallowed hard. "Yeah…." He was shaking all over, and he couldn't help it. Everything he had within him was building a barrier against his rage, trying to keep it all in and not blow his cover. "Why her?" His voice sounded tiny and slightly strained.

"She is Sephiroth's blood," a new voice called from behind him.

His eyes blazed as he turned to the voice. "Hojo!"

"Hee, hee! Jenova cells are more resilient than that fool Cloud believed. After all, here I am." He walked up to the glass and rapped on it lovingly. "My beautiful specimen…. my pretty Sephiroth clone."

The world shot into pretty colors and then dimmed. Pressure built up inside of him until he thought he was literally going to explode. "Sephi….but she's a girl! What are you talking about?"

"Variation A of the Sephiroth clone. The female prototype: A'vera."

Reno doubled over, clutching his stomach. He felt sure he was going to be sick all over the equipment. This was too much to handle. She couldn't be a Sephiroth clone! First of all, she was a girl. The whole gene manipulation thing just sat as impossible in his mind. Secondly, she didn't look like Sephiroth. Maybe similar sharp features, but hardly comparable to the nightmare. Thirdly, she was his girl; she had never done anything anywhere close to evil. She cared for a father that would rather beat her than talk to her. It just couldn't be true!

The president's hand fell on his shoulder. "You should go home, Reno. You don't look very well."

He looked up into the eyes of Rufus Shinra, the president, the man he had committed his career—practically his life—to. Everything he knew was crumbling around him. Everything seemed so transparent, so unreal. So it is my fault after all. To think I watched while he injected himself with Jenova cells. He turned to Hojo, unable to mask his glowering stare. "You're a frickin' monster!" He spat angrily. "You brought Sephiroth into this world to begin with! You fought the only person capable of defeating him. And now you're doing this! You sorry…"

"Reno!" The president called sharply. "You're sick! Go home! Now!"

He spun on Shinra, anger gathering in his eyes like a solar flare. Pull it together Reno. You can't do this alone! Every soldier and Turk will be on you before you can get to the door! You've gotta think…gotta think…Gotta…Cloud! His face relaxed into a moderately strained look as he grappled for control. "You're right, sir. I apologize. I'm…uh….I'm not feeling like myself."

Rufus nodded under his blonde bangs. "Get some rest."

Reno staggered for a minute and then righted himself. He had just taken a step forward when he heard an alarm squeal behind him. He spun on his heel to find Hojo rushing for the computer. "Contain her!" Rufus yelled at him, backing away slightly. As he turned back, he saw her hand flex and then stretch out further. Her eyes shot open, but it wasn't her eyes at all. What used to be emerald green and turned into Mako-infused, pale-blue. The color was so light, he was sure he had never seen it before. Mystified, he stared as she reached out more, until her fingers bumped the glass. "She's waking up, you idiot!" Rufus snapped again. He was losing his dignity quickly.

Hojo was enamored. "Such a beautiful, strong specimen! So much like her failure of a sibling! She's breaking our hold on her."

The Turk's hands clasped into fists. Come on, Avera. Come on, baby…fight it! Once again, he heard Rufus' voice bellow out over the screech of the sirens. "The last thing we need is a lady Sephiroth on the loose! Get control or get out!" The scientist snapped back to reality and complied, tapping controls quickly. The cryo-chamber responded by sending electrical currents all through the water. Sparks flew from her teeth, her hair, her fingertips. NO!

"Re….no…." Her eyes locked onto his. For a moment, he thought she had won over all the torture they were putting her through. And then, shuddering all over, she bowed her head and accepted defeat.

"The voltage was too much for her mind to take," Hojo explained. "She should be unconscious for a long time."

Rufus stood up straight, sweating. "Good. Reno, I know this concerns you."

…You're damn right it concerns me…

"I know you want to stay. I know you want to protect me. I assure you, we have everything under control. This little mishap was just a fluke. Nothing to be worried about."

Sure, I wanna protect you, pres. I want to put you in a really safe place; like maybe that chamber my girlfriend is in. "Sure," he snapped, and then stalked out of the room aggressively.

The president sighted and pulled out his PHS. "So unfortunate," he muttered to himself as it rang. "I was hoping he would understand. But, This is Shinra. I'm sorry to call you in the middle of the night, especially after your wonderful service today. However, I need your assistance. I have a special job for you."

Cloud was driving back home late at night when he first felt it. An itch, a tickle, at the back of his mind. "ugh!" He shook his shoulders and twisted his neck, trying to rid himself of the maddening sensation. Instead, it spread; all the way through his fingertips and down his spine.

Somewhere in Midgar, a little boy woke up, screaming aloud. Tifa heard the unknown name as she was shaken from her slumber. "Avera!"

Reno had ran the whole way to the chopper. The engines were already turning by the time he reached it. He was about to climb in when someone called his name. He turned, nearly frantically, to the sound. He had one focus and one only: To find Cloud and convince him to save a Sephiroth clone. Piece of cake, right? "Rude! Listen, buddy, I'm glad to see you!"

"Drop your weapon."

Reno looked left and right and behind him, sure there was someone else around that he was speaking to. When he found no one else he was shocked. He squinted at his partner. He was some fifteen feet away from him, stone-faced and grim. "What? Hey, what's going on?"

"The president has requested your full cooperation."

"Oh, come on now. Rude, we're partners. How long have you known me? What's going on?"

Rude frowned even deeper, if that were possible. He seemed to be fighting an internal battle of some kind; probably about whether he should tell him or not. Meanwhile, he watched his partner: unmoving, red hair and unkempt clothes flapping in the force of the helicopter's blades. "The president has informed me he is doubtful that you still have the company's best interests at heart."

Reno feigned shock. "Is that what he told you? When's the last time I did something that stupid? Er….don't answer that, huh?" He shook his head stubbornly. "Do you know what he's up to? He's got a female Sephiroth clone in there! I don't think he's going to win any peace medals here."

"That's why word shouldn't get out."

"Come on, man! It's dangerous! Besides, she's an innocent woman! She doesn't deserve any of this."

"She's not so innocent when she's surrounded by three Turks and backed into a corner," he replied evenly, touching a new bruise on his jaw.

He stiffened, his blue eyes widening and going dark. "You….? Rude, how could you?"

"I took the same oath we all did: to protect the company's interests."

"What about the world's interests? Don't they matter? What about her interests?" He paused, trying to find some way to reach him, struggling to decide if he should break his vow of silence. "I kept her a secret from you, I know, but….she's my girl, Rude. She's my girl! They had no right to do this to her! You know?"

His partner looked very surprised. Reno's girl? Reno had a girl? How unusual. How unlikely. How disturbing….he didn't have one himself. The two of them hardly ever had women. If one did it was always Reno. Why was that? But if he had been keeping her a secret that meant it was serious enough to hide. That meant he cared about her and their relationship in a way that he didn't normally care about anything—even his job.

He knew enough about Rude to know he was about to cave in. But Rude didn't particularly like caving in that easily. He looked uncomfortable at first, then shrugged. "I'm sorry, Reno." He looked genuinely apologetic. "The president made a request. It's my job to ensure his requests are fulfilled."

But you're my partner; my buddy…"I don't want to fight you, Rude." He put his hand in his pocket and shifted his weight to one foot, waiting for his chance.

"Then come along."

"Fat chance!" He snarled, grinning at him.

"In Shinra's interests, I must insist…"

Reno chuckled. "Oh, come on. You never talked this much before. Feeling a little hesitant, friend?"

He frowned.

"I would be, if I had to fight me; the next in line for Turk One. Would have been, too, if Tseng weren't such a quick healer." He smiled at their old joke. Only this time, Rude wasn't smiling back. "Come on. We're Turk brothers!"

"Not if you no longer serve the president."

"Come on; I still serve the president….give me a chance to prove it."

Rude extended his arm, a signal that he was about to fight.

_His eyes widened in alarm. "Come on, Rude. Just listen a second will you?" That's all he had time for. Rude dove for him and the battle was on._


	2. Chapter 2

DAY THREE

Cloud woke up late. He _never _woke up late, so it was a sure sing that whatever had happened took its toll the night before. He swung his legs out of bed hurriedly as he took a glance out of the window. Almost noon. "Tifa?" He called out loudly.

"No need to yell at me," she answered jokingly from the doorway. "I can hear you."

He paused, grabbing for his shirt. "Tifa, what happened last night?"

Her eyes widened in bemusement until she got that look from him that signaled he was not in a playful mood. "You looked a little sick, so I sent you to bed. Well, whatever you have, you gave it to Denzel. He stayed home from school today."

He shrugged that off, strapping his elaborate sword sheath to his back. "He does that a lot lately."

"Not this time. He woke up screaming last night before you got in. He was complaining about a headache and a tingly feeling—like he was being electrocuted or something. He couldn't even get out of bed. I thought about taking him to the clinic, but he said he was feeling a little better."

Cloud's eyes narrowed. The same experience. Silently, he strode past Tifa and into Denzel's room. Denzel was wide awake, watching him silently glide to him. Cloud reached out and touched his head, feeling for fever. "Tifa says you're sick. How are you feeling?"

"Better, now."

He could feel Tifa walk up behind him. "Want to tell me about your nightmare?" Tifa was smiling at him, considering him to be very sympathetic to the child's needs. "Was it about Avera?"

He nodded. "You know her too?" He seemed excited.

Cloud frowned in puzzlement. "No." After a few moments of silence, he stood up. "We'll talk about this when I get back. Walk Marlene home from school if you're feeling better."

Tifa stepped in front of him. "Cloud, you're not leaving now, are you!"

"I have to. This is my last shipment I need to make to Wutai. If I leave now, I can get back here in a few hours."

"But Denzel…."

"He said he was fine. You're feeling fine now, aren't you, Denzel?"

The kid made a face at him, but eventually nodded. "Sure, Cloud." Without another word, he turned over to face the wall and threw the covers over his head.

"Cloud," she began again, " I don't think…."

"I'm fine."

"But you and he both…."

"We'll figure it out later, I promise!" He turned to her. "It's double pay for me if I can get it delivered before two. We need the money. I've got to go." He kissed her on the forehead, taking in a deep whiff of her hair as he did so. He hoped she hadn't noticed. "I'll be home soon."

Rufus Shinra paced before Tseng. "Any word from Rude or Reno?" He seemed angry and impatient. His fingers ticked against his leg every half second as he glared out the window. He had been pacing for over an hour like a caged animal.

"Nothing since they took the two choppers last night." Tseng was reading a newspaper, casually uninterested. He didn't know of anything that happened the night before. Plus, Reno and Rude were in the habit of just taking off for no reason—usually more Reno's idea than Rude's. But wherever the Second Turk went, his partner willingly followed; like a sheep to the slaughter. They were more pals than business partners, which usually got in the way of good business. Oh, well. As long as they functioned well together and did the president's bidding, it was no skin off of his nose. That left him more time alone with Elena.

The president glanced at him. "Find them. Make it your top priority."

Tseng looked up from his newspaper in concern. "They aren't in any kind of trouble, are they, sir?"

"Let's just say I sent Rude to get Reno and he's not back here with him yet."

"But, sir, Elena and I were supposed to…."

The president turned on him like a viper. "Don't argue with me, damn it!" He spat. "Just go get them!"

Tseng snapped to attention, dropping the newspaper onto the desk. "Yes, sir!"

With one last look at his superior, he slinked out of the room with as much dignity as he could muster under the circumstances.

Rufus glowered where Tseng had been standing. He had been suspicious of Turk Two for a few years, now. Actually, it had only been a real confirmed suspicion when NEW SOLDIER returned the first time, saying Reno had shown up and they were afraid of being found out, so they were empty-handed. The next day, Reno had called in sick immediately after Hojo and NEW SOLDIER returned without results again. When the specimen came in wearing Reno's ring, he was almost certain. And when she had called Turk Two by name, and Reno had gotten so angry….He knew. Reno was loyal to one person alone now, and it wasn't Rufus Shinra.

It was a shame, really. Reno had been the one Turk he could always count on. Effective, if not punctual. He didn't go down easily. If it had been anyone in that chamber except his girlfriend, he might have complied. Why, not long ago he had taken the brunt of Cloud Strife's attack as the rest flew off with a captured Aeris. He had done many un-kosher things for the sake of Shinra and the planet. At the same time, Reno knew when to cut the losses and run, and he was the only Turk that seemed to have a conscience. It was time to cut Reno loose—if necessary, permanently.

Reno was facedown in the dirt. He had circled around the continent for hours, trying to lose the chopper on his tail. When Rude had attacked on the landing bay, he staved him off long enough to get away in Chopper 1. However, Rude wasn't going to let him go that easily. Right about the time he thought he was home free, an array of bullets zinged by his starboard. Two hours of cat and mouse later, he was crash-landed in the middle of Cosmo Canyon. He lost consciousness for a while. When he woke up, he saw Rude's boots walking towards him. He rolled over with a groan. It took all the energy he had to stand up, but he somehow managed. "Rude, don't make me--" He reached into his belt and produced his newly bought revolver. He swallowed, trying to catch his breath. "I don't….want to….but you're not….listening, brother."

He somewhat growled a reply. Reno was a dead shot, even with one functional eye. He didn't dare move.

"I don't care….what I have to do….but I have to….somehow….save her….and the planet….at the same….time!" He wiped sand and blood out of his left eye, but he still couldn't see any better. "Now you better….frickin' back _off_!"

Rude paused for a moment before backing away a few feet.

Reno put a hand to his side and was relieved to find no sticky wetness of blood there. "you wanna serve and protect….the president? Then listen. He's….planning some….psycho reunion….but with Jenova and….Cetra cells. And he didn't….say that…..but I know. My….girl's….a Jenova candidate….like Kadaj and Cloud….but, good." He grabbed for breath heavily and found a bit more. "A good girl. I ….can't let them change her into some sort of mindless doll. And if….he uses those cells, it could be worse….than anything we ever imagined. What do you think about that, partner?" He waited, gasping for breath, waiting for Rude's reply.

To his relief, he relaxed. "I can't help you." He stated, flatly. Then, without warning, he tossed Reno the chopper keys.

Reno would normally have caught them. Instead, he swung for them and lost his balance, falling to the dirt on his knees. He sensed Rude walking up on him, but he was so tired he barely even cared. He scrambled for the keys, half-blind. He jumped when Rude grabbed his shoulder and jerked him to his feet sharply. To his surprise, however, he began dusting him off. The world was spinning a bit; he slipped in and out of consciousness momentarily. Before he knew it, the keys and his gun was stuffed in his jacket pocket. "Get going, before I change my mind."

He was so dumbfounded, he didn't even say thank you. He staggered slowly to the chopper, wiping more crusty blood seeping into his eye from a split on his hairline. "They'll get wise, you know," Reno told him from the seat of Chopper 2.

"I'll tell them you hit me." He replied slowly. He raised a hand. "I'll watch your back."

He smiled. "See you, partner." When he got himself into the air, he caught a reflection of himself in the glass. "Holy crap…Who hit who?" From the swirling sands below, he caught sight of a black dot that was presumably Rude. He shook his head with a typical chuckle. "Take care of yourself, you big buzzard."

"Where's your buddy?" Cloud asked, keeping his sword level on Reno.

His eyes measured Cloud, but never betrayed his true feelings. If they showed anything, it was independence and determination. He raised his chin in his usual superior way. "I came alone."

The ex-soldier's eyes shifted a bit to cover Reno's appearance, and then he nodded, lowering his sword. "Take a seat."

Tseng found Rude under the awning of a cliff. His jacket was missing, his tie used as a tourniquet for a huge slash on his arm. He was dirty, sweaty, and more than irritable. "Where's Reno?" Tseng demanded. Elena stepped to Rude's side, helping him up.

"He fought me after his chopper went down. Stole my keys."

"Any idea where he's headed?"

Rude made a noise to the back of his throat….a passable disappointed no.

"Fine. Get in the chopper. We're going to find him right now. We have orders."

Rude nodded. "Yes, we do."

DAY FOUR

_**I told him everything about what happened. Well, except the fact that she was a Sephiroth clone. Oh, and the fact that the president was chock full of Jenova cells. And I kind of skipped over the fact that the Turks were hunting me. But I did tell him Hojo was still alive, and he had some crazy plan to assault my girlfriend with Jenova and Cetra cells. Oh, and I topped it off by saying he had some elaborate scheme to take over the world or something like that. **_

_**At first, he didn't want to help. Of course not! What guy in their right mind would want competition like me around? But Tifa—I always liked her—gave him some speech about what he would want me to do if the roles were reversed and how much the planet needed him…yak, yak, yak. To make a long story short, we were standing outside of New Shinra headquarters at midnight, waiting for whatever hell came our way. **_

_**Personally, I didn't care. I just wanted to get Avera out without killing the president. I don't know why my loyalties were still divided like that. It wasn't going to last forever, though…**_

The I.D. card in Reno's hand gave an unpleasant beep. "Oh," he replied sarcastically. "I sure wish this wasn't so easy. I live for a challenge, you know."

Tifa's brown head popped out from behind Cloud's shoulder. "What is it?" She whispered to him. He couldn't figure out why she was whispering. It wasn't like they were inside, and besides, the doors were soundproof.

"Cut my security. I can't get in."

Cloud swung his head around to the back entrance of the lab, peeking through the window. "Then we'll just have to find another way in," he muttered. "They're not going to let us in the nice way."

"Why don't you try your magic?" Reno asked Tifa. She gazed at him in bewildered curiosity. He smirked at her. "Worked on Cloud."

He got a very meaningful scowl from her fiancé. He couldn't shut up, though. That was his nature. He was good at being a smart-aleck pain in the butt. It was his forte. "Worked on Rude, too. Maybe that's why he hates you so much, Cloud."

The scowl took a deadly edge. "If I were you," Cloud threateningly retorted, "I'd shut up."

_**Yeah, shut up, Reno. You need him to get Avera out, remember?**_ "Sorry," he added quickly. He glanced at his watch. "Shift changes in two minutes. They go through a series of reboots in order to ensure the system is running smoothly. The door will unlock and relock then. We have ten seconds to get in before an alarm sounds to notify the door is ajar."

"You sure it will work?" Tifa asked.

"Ah, sure. Me and Rude sneak in here when we party all night and don't want to admit we're tardy the next morning. Oh, and when we don't want to pay for pay-per-view. We get it free here. The president also has surround sound; it's a late-night party Turk's dream come true."

"Are you finished?" Cloud snapped.

He raised an eyebrow at him. "Yeah, sure, buddy." _**Well he sure is touchy**._ Of course, Reno realized he wasn't Cloud's favorite character. He had done a lot to tick him off. But he was hoping he had changed his reputation with last year's fight-Kadaj-and-save-the-world scheme. "Stand by…now!" He grabbed the door handle and swung it open, diving in. He was followed quickly by Tifa and then Cloud. He slammed the door shut with only a few seconds to spare. He chuckled, tossing a brief grin at them. "Fun, huh? Come on, this way. We need to access the main computer."

They snuck up on the lone guard from behind. Reno pulled his electro-rod quickly and gave him a quick hit on the back of the skull. He looked down at the hapless victim, pulling his boots out from under the limp body. "Sorry about that, buddy. You'll get a formal apology in my resignation letter."

"Computer?" Cloud asked, as if he really needed to remind him that his girlfriend needed to be rescued in the first place.

He sighed. Cloud was such a pain in the butt. Way to serious! He was going to die before he was thirty. Reno was two years older than him and still he planned to take life as insincerely and recklessly as possible. Then again, when you needed to save your girlfriend in a high-alert facility, it wasn't exactly the time to be insincere or reckless. "Over here." He slid smoothly into the chair, until he realized he had rolled over a foot further than he was supposed to go. "Damn wheels." He slid back, tapping the screen.

"Can you figure it out?" Tifa asked him.

"Oh, please. I'm a Turk."

"Thought you were fired."

He held his breath, trying not to get angry at Cloud again. He muttered a comeback under his breath as he tapped the screen again. His face glowed a blue color as the screen came to life: PASSWORD.

He chuckled. "Oh, too easy. Shinra gave us codes for everything from covert missions to ma's cookie recipe. This will be cake." He tapped the keys confidently, humming a bit as he did_**Hang on, Avera, you're almost out**._

Cloud stepped up to the holding tank while Reno worked on it, gazing at her thoughtfully. She was covered in a white bodysuit that ran from her chest to her thighs. Her long, pale blonde hair gently swayed in the water. Her bottom lip hung open just slightly, her eyes pinched tight in some type of distress. Cloud recognized her immediately. "Wait a minute….I know her. She's…."

Reno had hit the enter key with a feeling of great exuberance and fell back in the chair, gazing up at her in boyish anticipation. It was short-lived. As soon as he hit the back of the chair, Rufus' voice came over the intercom. "Intruder alert," He came up so fast the chair slid out from under him and he had to catch his balance awkwardly. "Really, Reno. For being the second in command, you should have been smarter."

"They changed the frickin' password!" He spat irritably. His left hand grabbed the electro-rod, ready for battle. "We have about three seconds."

"Let's make them count," Tifa replied, running up to the entryway. Cloud followed suit, coming along the other side. Right about that time, the doors opened.

Rufus' voice faded out with: "The Turks are on their way, now."

"Hey, fellas. Long time no see," Reno said, almost nervously to the two in front. They charged, failing to realize Cloud and Tifa were on each side of the door. The first four were taken down before the rest realized what was going on.

"Find a way to get that tank open, or we're leaving without her!" Cloud yelled over the commotion of gunfire and Tifa's right hooks.

Reno ducked a swing at his head from one of the soldiers. He grinned, casually kicking straight out. It caught him in the chest and he flew backwards. Under different circumstances, he would have considered the battle fun. But he could already tell that they were soon about to be outnumbered and outmaneuvered. He would have to think of something right away. He turned to the canister just as he heard the same alarm he had heard before. She was coming to, and the signal was alerting them to the possibility. "Alright, Bright Eyes. I'm coming." He could almost hear his name with the thrum of the alarm: Reno, Reno, Reno… He muttered as he sidestepped another soldier neatly. _**Fine. Can't do it the easy way, we'll just have to do it the easier way**._ Without a second thought, he kicked the power supply.

The already-dim lights flickered and then turned off. The alarm went dead. A few seconds later, red emergency lights came to life; just in time for him to see two coming at him from different directions. He jumped to the left, crashing into Avera's holding tank, and the two collided. He could hear a hiss of the tank; it was nearly over.

The seal broke just as Reno dove in. She fell limply, and he barely had time to catch her before she hit the floor. He was barely conscious of the battle going on about him. Her head slumped to the crook of his arm. He thought for a moment she might be waking up, but the shock of the normal environment weakened her attempt at that. "Avera," he called, his voice trembling just a bit. He hoped Cloud hadn't heard it. If she had heard, it wasn't enough to pull her from her slumber. It took a few moments to register that her skin was freezing to the touch. She was blue; her hair was brittle. It was like she had been carved from a block of ice.

"Reno!" Tifa screamed at him. "We've got to go, now!" She tackled a soldier running past her and drove him to the ground with a crazed yell.

Quickly, he stripped off his jacket and wrapped it around her bare shoulders. He hoped this plan of Cloud's would work. He had a thought for a moment that it might just have been Cloud's way of getting rid of him. "Okay, ready!" He called. On cue, Cloud ran out and slashed through the remaining guards by the window. "Hope your guy's ready," Reno warned him, drawing her close. With a prolonged yell, he dashed out of the window and straight into gravity.

His life flashed before his eyes as he tumbled two stories without a parachute. But just as he was ready to hit the ground, Shera 2 slipped under he and his two companions. He rolled to his back and almost lost hold of Avera. He managed to flip over a couple of times on his elbows and knees, so he wouldn't injure her any more than necessary. Soon, he was flat on his back, staring up at the stars, Avera snugged up close to him. "Y'all hold on to yer britches!" He heard Cid call out over the loudspeaker. "We'll be out o' here real quick!"

Tifa grunted a bit with effort as Cloud helped her to her feet. She found Reno upright, holding Avera tightly in his lap. She couldn't help thinking he looked very un-Reno like then. He must have been pretty scared. She walked up to him and gently put a hand on his shoulder as Cloud watched apprehensively. He didn't look at her. His eyes were glued to the stars.

-----

"You're not telling me everything." The door Reno had just come out of slammed shut behind him. He instinctively jumped, whirling about to his said assailant. He had just come out of the back room, where Shera and Yuffie were hovering over Avera. They shooed him out when they wanted to put her old clothes back on her. They were supposed to let him know if she woke up during the process. The door had slammed by an unseen hand, and he was sure Tseng had found him. Instead, he came face-to-face with Cloud.

His eyes twinkled at him. He drew back in a playful gesture of having a heart attack. "Remember I'm two years older than you, Cloud. Be careful with my fragile old heart, man."

"What aren't you telling me?" Cloud snapped.

He looked weary, but it was genuine this time. "What do you mean?"

"That girl is the same one I saved in Wutai two days ago. NEW SOLDIER had an ambush ready for us. Rufus says he's sending in the Turks. This is either an elaborate attempt to weave us into one of your little Shinra schemes, or you've neglected to tell me everything." Cloud pointed to Cid's kitchen table almost aggressively. "Tell me. Now."

"Fine." Reno dropped into a chair, putting his hand over his injured left eye. "But you're not gonna like it. Come to think of it—where's Tifa? She always takes up for me."

"Sorry. She's going get the kids before they're caught in your stupid Shinra trap."

He gave him a defensive stare, raising his hands. "Hey, yo! I have nothing to do with this one, whatever it is!" He shrugged. "I'll tell you what I know, but the minute you try to retaliate against the president, you know I'll have to stop you. I'd rather us be allies."

Cloud gave him a half-grin. "Tell me what you know and I'll consider it. Besides, I thought you were fired."

He shot him a look. "Would you stop saying that, already?" He sighed irritably. "Okay. First of all, Shinra found great healing potential in both Jenova and Cetra cells. The Jenova cells helped him walk, and the Cetra gave him the cure for geostigma; He's got this weird plan to combine the two to achieve ultimate power. For the betterment of the world, of course."

"Of course." Cloud frowned. "But he's already healed. Besides, it would never work. The cells would kill each other off, possibly killing him as well."

"Ah, that's what I said. But they think it will work. That's why they got my girl as a lab rat. I guess they were a little too yellow to try it on themselves. Add that to the fact that he doesn't want healing, anymore. He wants….you know I'm not sure what he wants."

"The betterment of humanity?"

"Yeah, that."

The other smiled to himself ironically. "Knowing Rufus, it could be anything." He frowned again suddenly at a thought. "I thought the Jenova cells were destroyed in Kadaj. Was it Jenova's finger that…?"

"Oh please! That thing? It's so old you can't get a sample of dust, much less cells."

"Then where…?"

"You, Hojo, Rufus Shinra, you all have the Jenova cells already, remember? The geostigma?" Reno chuckled. "They _were_ all destroyed in Kadaj. I guess that's a lucky thing; no more stray cells to worry with. But as soon as Rufus got Jenova's head a year ago, he drew samples off and stored them, 'just in case'. He injected himself with them shortly after Kadaj's death. It finished off what the lifestream couldn't."

"Then where are they getting the cells to inject Avera?"

Reno squirmed in his seat. "Ah….when did you say Tifa would be back?"

"Spill it."

He sighed again, staring at the front door. He was really hoping she would walk in. She could always seem to soothe the savage beast in Cloud. "Tell me you didn't feel it, Cloud, and I'll be glad. Then I'll know it was a lie."

He raised an eyebrow in puzzlement, waiting.

"They say the clones have a connection. Not immediately accessible, but there. They say if you dig deep enough, you can find your brethren." He turned his blue eyes to Cloud, sure that anyone could detect the pleading gaze in them. "Please tell me you didn't feel it."

He narrowed his eyes, then jumped up, hand on his sword hilt. "Impossible! She's a girl!"

"They say she's the prototype. They altered Sephiroth's genes somehow to make her."

"You knew about this!" He bellowed. With one swift move, he grabbed him by his jacket and hauled him to his feet. "You Shinra spy! You led her right to us!" He turned on his heel and went for her door, drawing his sword.

"No!" Reno yelled angrily. He launched himself at Cloud. Within seconds, he had him on the ground, his knee between his shoulder blades. "Touch her and I'll kill you!"

Cloud twisted, knocking him over. The battle was on. Cloud flashed out his sword. Reno caught it with his electro-rod and kicked out. Surprisingly, it met its mark—square in his jaw. Cloud stepped back and lashed out again. Reno ducked. "Never should have trusted you!" Cloud shouted, landing an even punch.

Reno reeled. There had been a lot of anger in that swing. "Makes two of us!" He sneered back. As he struck out, Cloud sidestepped neatly. Reno's head rammed the wall, and he immediately fell to the floor, head spinning. He groaned, getting on all fours. The other waited patiently, watching him. Only Reno now saw four foes instead of one. "And that's….only a warm-up!" Reno coolly panted, standing for the next blow.

But Tifa—lovely, sweet, wonderful Tifa—entered the room, Denzel and Marlene in tow. "Cloud! Reno!" She barked. "What are you two doing?" Reno stared at them for a moment in cross-eyed fascination, wondering where she found six kids.

"She's a Sephiroth experiment," Cloud snapped. "Nothing but Shinra's evil trap."

"Takes one to know one, I guess," Reno popped off, again touching the hollow of his injured left eye.

"You brought her here to murder us all, is that it?"

"Oh, please. You're not worth the trouble!" He glared, the swimmy sensation dying off a bit as he talked. "You know, it's a bit disappointing to me, too, don't you think? I've had a hell of a week: girlfriend nearly killed twice, kidnapped, I find out she's a Sephiroth clone, I get fired, my best friend shoots me out of the sky, and I have to ask you of all people to help me; Now she won't even wake up! God knows what they've done to her! You don't even know her! So don't talk to me about planning anything this frickin' stupid. You are not worth her life, capish?" He advanced, staring Cloud right in the face. "You were a Sephiroth clone too, you know?"

The room went dead silent for a brief moment. All eyes were on Cloud. Even Denzel and Marlene stood hand-in-hand, watching him quietly. Reno had just challenged him in the best way possible. He opened his mouth to say something when Yuffie burst in. "Reno! She's awake!"

Reno literally ran for the door. There was heard a loud, "Out, out, out!" And Shera backed out of the room in bewilderment. With a meaningful look at Tifa, Cloud watched the proceedings from the doorway.

"Hey, Bright Eyes," Reno said cheerfully as he sat next to her.

Her strange new eyes shifted towards him as her head turned ever so slowly. "Oh, Reno," Her hand stretched towards him so slightly that he almost missed it; it collapsed back onto her stomach. "It hurts so much."

He frowned deeply, swallowing down a huge lump in his throat. She had never complained before. Not even when her drunken dad had nearly killed her the night Yuffie returned home from stopping meteor a few years ago. When she didn't show at the bar, he went looking for her. Her father had slammed her head into a door. Of course, that's when he tried to kill her father. She had to pull him off and she did remarkably well, considering the fact that she could barely move a few moments before then. She never said another word about it, although he knew she must have been in great pain. So, naturally, it was shocking for him to hear anything about pain now. That wasn't her way. It must have been terrible for her to mention anything of it at all. He licked his lips, finding his voice. "Where?"

Her eyelids fluttered closed as she drew a sharp breath. "Everywhere." She paused, taking a deep slow breath. Even the mumbles she spoke were somewhat difficult for her. "And there are voices. So many voices….Reno….what did they do to me?"

He tried to crack a flippant smile. "Not so much at once, huh? Get some sleep."

"They'll find me."

"Nah. And if they do, I'll give them both fists."

"He will. He can hear me, now."

Cloud stood up straight. He? Was she referring to Sephiroth?

Reno argued with her for a while, but she was extremely agitated and couldn't seem to shake her fears of someone finding her. It seemed like twenty minutes, but it was probably sooner, when Denzel snuck past Cloud and next to Reno. "Hey, kid. Go play with Tifa, okay?" Reno told him, irritably.

At the sight of Denzel, Avera calmed down. Her eyes went soft and she smiled. "Denzel?"

Everyone looked at each other in surprise.

"It's okay, Avera. Me and Reno'll watch with you. Right, Reno?" He put his hand on hers and gave her a sweet, boyish smile.

Reno blinked. "Huh? What? Oh….yeah. Yeah, Avera. Me and the kid will be here."

"Denzel." She smiled and finally sank back onto the pillows. "It's good to see you."

Denzel nodded solemnly.

"Hey, don't forget the man in your life!" The Turk irritably griped. He didn't like the whole idea of a kid calming her down more than him.

Her eyes turned to Reno again. He was still astounded at how blue they were. They were lighter than his, lighter than Cloud's. They were the color of the edge of the sky on the brightest, clearest day possible. A pale, soft, glimmering blue. He took her hand as she held it out to him. Those eyes, though beautiful, were scaring the heck out of him. "They're coming," she whispered, and then dropped off to peaceful slumber.

The Turk and the kid looked at each other as if saying, "huh. This is new." Denzel blinked. "You know what she means, don't you?" Reno didn't say anything, so he took it as license to continue. "The Turks are coming. She's warning you."

"Hey kid. Uh…how do you know that?"

He shrugged matter-of-factly. "I just do."

Cloud met Reno's gaze from the doorway. He didn't trust Reno; never would. However, they had to get lost, one way or another. If Reno was working with the Turks, he had to throw them off the trail. If he wasn't, he had to get all of them out of harm's way. Either way, it required leaving. "Pack up. We've got to go." His gaze turned to Denzel as he was walking away. Why were Denzel and Avera connected? Denzel had always been an orphan, as long as Cloud knew him. Could he have been more? What was his past? What was his future? "Now."

**Memory:**_The first inspection I had seen her. This time I got to talk to her. I, as the recently-appointed Turk rookie, made it a point to look for her. Hey, I was nineteen and completely enamored with pretty girls. I figured she had to be around there somewhere; after all, she was the Head of Scientific Diagnostics at the Junon reactor—even at sixteen. That made her smart…I was very into smart women. I strayed a little bit away from Shinra, Sr., spinning about in an effort to recognize her somewhere. _

_When we went past a door, I strayed a little close and she ran straight into me as I was looking up. She stumbled back a bit and scrambled for her diagnostic lenses. I grabbed for them, too, and handed them back before I even realized who I was standing in front of. She smiled at me, and my jaw dropped slightly. "Reno, right?"_

_"Oh, yeah…uh… Avera."_

_"Yes. Sorry I ran into you."_

_"Ah, well. That's me. Magnetic personality." I put my hand in my pocket._

_She smiled briefly. Part of me wanted to kick myself for being so arrogantly stupid, the other part was so turned on that she didn't giggle the snot out of herself like all the other girls I had known did. I noticed, however, that she had a fresh scar right above her eyebrow. It was red and swollen. It didn't detract from her looks, however. She readjusted the diagnostic glasses on her nose. Reno noticed all too well that the bridge wrinkled cutely when she did that. "Well, I gotta get back to work. Take it easy, okay? No more blind turns!"_

_"Sure." I tilted my head slightly as she walked out, getting a good look at her from the back. I smirked at myself before I realized what I was doing. Getting the jitters, I shook myself out of it and jogged to catch up with the president._

_Two weeks later I heard that the Gongaga reactor blew. I couldn't sleep for a week. That pretty girl…that smart pretty girl…was probably dead because of Shinra's materialistic, power-hungry personality. When Rude finally drug it out of me why I was not myself, he shrugged. "It's Shinra. You'll get used to it. It's your job."_

_I think_…._that's when I started hating Shinra. Somewhere deep down inside, a conscience long lost stirred up inside of me. This rebellion_…._it all started with her, six years ago._


	3. Chapter 3

DAY FIVE

_**We went to Reeve's on the motorcycles. We figured the Shinra knew where we were because Cid drove us off from NEW SHINRA headquarters in the Shera 2. Avera was kind of surprised that I knew how to operate one, to which I replied Cloud wasn't the only one who had the mad biker skills. Anyway, she dozed most of the way there, her head against my back, hands in my jacket pockets. I didn't mind at all. **_

_**Okay, anyway, I was exhausted too. I hadn't slept in days, and I hadn't let myself heal from the Helicopter crash. It was difficult to keep an eye on Avera and Cloud that night, but I did it. After all, I was sure that he was going to try and kill her. But it gets to be too much, even for me. **_

_**So I must have dozed off for about twenty minutes. So? I was half-dead. Anybody else wouldn't have lasted as long as I did! But when I woke up, Avera was gone. I went blind with panic, and then struck out at the first logical person who would have harmed her in our little Midgar safe-house. **_

_**After roughing Cloud up, he informed me that she was safe, and if I would have not jumped to conclusions and went for morning coffee, I would have noticed.**_

-----

Cloud smirked at the freshly-bruised and battered Reno. "How many times do I have to win before you give up? If nothing else, the Turks are trained to be diligent."

Reno, as usual in the past two days, covered his left eye with his palm. "I know you took her, you sorry S.O.B.!" He pointed a finger at Cloud, but it wavered from him being dizzy and staggering about. "Where is she?"

He chuckled at Reno's ignorance. He had never heard Cloud so pleased with anything, and when he finally did, it was because he had beaten Reno in battle. This made him even angrier. He bared his teeth and made a snarling sound. "Reeve ordered breakfast. She's probably competing with Denzel over the best way to eat a pancake." Cloud pointed through the kitchen window.

Reno's knees wobbled a bit at the sight of Avera, wide-awake and healthy, laughing over a forkful of battered goodness. Abandoning all dignity (and still dizzy), took off running. When he got through the front door and close to the kitchen table, he tried to skid to a halt, but he ended up tripping and sliding under the table, whacking his forehead on the edge. The world spun for a moment before Avera was standing over him. "Reno?"

He blinked twice, grinning sheepishly. His ears turned pink. "Hello." He quickly flipped over and crawled out. _**Why do I do clumsy crap like that whenever I get around her?**_ "Well, how are you fee….?"

"Reno!" Before he could even get to his feet good, she tackled him. His eyes widened as she quickly kissed both tattoos under his eyes and then smack on the mouth. "Thank you so much!"

He pulled back quickly in avid confusion. "Well, you sure are feeling better, aren't you? Heh-heh."

"I guess all I needed was a good night's sleep," she replied simply. "I feel so invigorated! So full of energy!" She grabbed a cup of coffee and sipped it, those new eyes shining at him over the cup.

His eyes swept over her quickly. He realized with glee that she somehow looked better than she ever had before. Her skin seemed to glow, her hair had a silky sheen to it. The hand that wasn't on the coffee mug scooped around her hip that jutted out a bit. She smiled at him, raising an eyebrow. Apparently the Jenova/Cetra healing was working. Old scars that she had received from her father were gone magically. It was amazing. _Invigorated,_ he thought to himself, _Full of energy?_ "Oh, good…." He drawled, stepping up to her. In just one motion, he had an arm around her and had her snugged up to him. She grinned, getting the idea.

"Are they gonna kiss again?" he heard to his right. Marlene stared at him, popping a piece of pancake in her mouth with sticky peanut-butter fingers. Denzel giggled, showing bits of food in his teeth.

He rolled his eyes._**Great. If it's not Cloud trying to crash one party, his kids are crashing the other one.**_"Don't you need to go do something?"

Denzel giggled again. "Nope."

Reno sighed. _**Even after I'm fired, I have no time to play**._ "Fine." He scowled as Cloud walked in through the door, followed closely by Vincent. Avera, much to his dismay, moved away a bit.

Cloud glanced at her. "Could you take the kids out? I need to talk to Reno."

She nodded. "Of course."

And just like that, his down-time was cancelled for good.

"Without the specimen there are no guarantees. We have no idea how the new Cetra genes are reacting since her initial treatment." Hojo tapped his upper lip thoughtfully. "One would assume she's healthy, since she keeps evading the Turks."

"Reno's with her. That's the only reason she keeps escaping." Rufus threw a stack of papers on his desk as he took his usual post by the window. "I knew he was good, but he's proving himself better than I realized."

"The Turks will find him, eventually. They can do what they like with him. I just hope they don't damage the specimen. We have a long way to go before our research is completed."

Rufus turned his attention away from the window and sat across from Hojo casually. "What will be your next phase, when we retrieve her?"

The mad scientist's eyebrows furrowed, showing even more vividly the ghastly scar he wore since Cloud's attack. "Naturally, I want to make sure everything is proceeding correctly, first, but…I believe I would try to breed her."

Rufus kept his face neutral. "What purpose would that serve?"

"Genes are very fascinating. They can either weaken or strengthen generation by generation. I would like to see if two equal traits would produce more resilient offspring."

He swung his chair to the side, gazing at the wall. "We have no other specimen to match her caliber."

"We soon will."

Mr. Shinra glanced at him in surprise. "You don't mean you're planning on…?"

He giggled gleefully. "You a re the obvious choice. And what could serve your purposes better than a few super-sons with the ability to protect and further their father's interests in a way that the Turks never were able to?"

"She won't cooperate. And Reno…"

"There are ways to get around her uncooperative spirit. And Reno does have the Cetra gene. However, it is weak. Clearly it is not in the best interest of this project—or you—to have him be the father." Hojo smiled, coyly observant of Rufus' interest. "She's rather attractive."

A smile flickered a tiny bit on his face and his eyes sparkled, though he tried to keep it carefully measured. "It wouldn't be the worst thing I had to do, by far. Still, Avera is very strong-willed. I doubt she'd take that idea very casually. And, again, Reno would be a problem."

"You handle Reno, and I'll handle the specimen." Hojo stood and began to walk out. He stopped mid-stride and glanced at Rufus. "You know, she is my property. Made from the genes of my son; I created her. I gave her the power she has now. And mark my words—she will be powerful. Far too magnificent to breed with a lesser specimen. Whether she likes it or not, she deserves the blood of princes."

He raised his glass of brandy to him. "Here's to the future. The promised land may be attainable, yet."

The roar of the helicopter was deafening. It almost made Rude want to give up. But every time he started to, Reno's words and his own research kept coming back to him. So instead, he leaned in closer to the front two seats, where Elena and Tseng were. "I'm picking up a signal," Elena told the leader in her usual fascinated tone of voice. "I think it's Reno's PHS."

"That's only a myth to make the Turks insecure about being tardy or absent."

"Well, I never read it before, but I'm getting it now. The president said something before we left about being able to pick up Reno's signal. I think this is it. The president must have activated the homing beacon after we left."

He was suddenly interested and leaned over. "Really? Where is it?"

"It's…hey! Why am I losing it?" Elena tapped the screen in frustration, until she caught sight of the transceiver swirling below them to the ground. She turned to Rude. "What did you do?"

"I lost my balance."

She and Tseng glanced back to his right foot, where the transceiver should have been nestled in it's holding against the front console. Naked wires were still sparking at being severed from it's holdings. Rude's boot had a dent in it.

"Be more careful," Tseng admonished him. His voice bordered on anger, but his face registered something between impression and mild annoyance.

"My apologies."

"Elena?" Tseng prodded.

"I think I got a fix before Rude booted it, but….it can't be right."

"Why? Where was it?"

She looked at him in surprise. "A shopping mall close to Reeve's house, in Midgar."

Tseng glanced at Rude, who feigned surprise passably. "We should go, just in case. If it's bogus we can always refuel and re-supply."

When he was sure they weren't paying attention anymore, Rude pulled out his PHS. Working quickly, he sent Reno the text message: "ON OUR WAY TO REEVE'S." Then he tucked it in his jacket and tried to get a quick nap.

Tifa finished making the purchase and turned to Yuffie, who suspiciously hadn't made a sound in the last few moments. "Well I think these ought to fit Reno and Avera…what are you doing?"

Yuffie's eyes snapped up, and she put the high-tech PHS behind her. "Nothing!"

"Was that Reno's phone?"

"Well…"

"Yuffie! You stole Reno's phone?"

She looked indignant. "I did NOT! I'm just borrowing it for a while. Besides, it was cake! He was so beat up and tired he didn't even notice!"

"Yuffie!" Tifa put a fist on her hip. "Turn it off, right now!"

She put on a puppy face. "But….what if something important happens? You know, what if Rude or somebody calls?"

She rolled her eyes in reply. "Is that what this is all about? What IS it with you? Ask Reno for his number later. Maybe if you're nice to him, he'll forget about you stealing his phone and give it to you. Now turn it off!"

"But…" She jerked the PHS away from Tifa's stretching reach. "Fine! But you are no fun at all!" The phone played a happy tune as it bleeped off.

"Let me get this straight," Reno said, looking at Vincent with an expression that said he was slightly bemused. "She reminds you….I mean, WE remind you of Lucrecia and you?"

"It appears obvious, doesn't it?"

Reno looked at him for a moment, and then at Cloud. "And he told you about it. Is that why you trust me, now?"

Not even a second passed before Cloud clarified. "I _**understand **_you, now. I wouldn't go as far as trust."

"Ah."

"Tifa's in the city, getting you and Avera some clothes to change into. It will help you hide your identity."

"Good, good…."

"You may want to not carry your rod in plain sight. Keep it under your jacket or something."

"Yeah, good idea."

"And you'll want to cut your hair."

Reno's eyes blazed. "No bloody way!"

"That red pony-tail is a dead give-away."

"I don't care!"

"At least dye it," Vincent added in suggestion.

His eyes darted from one to another. "Are you kidding me? It's red! The color of passion, of fury, of romance! Chicks dig the hair. Avera probably gets turned on every time she sees it. I'm not dying it. I'm not cutting it off!"

"You're being ridiculous," Reeve put in from the back of the room. They didn't even notice he was there, before.

He was seething. "Screw all of you! I'm not cutting it off! That's like cutting off my--"

"At _least_ put on a cap," Reeve replied.

The clock on the wall ticked off a full minute before he replied. He crossed his arms, sitting back sulkily. "I'll consider it." He put a finger in his ear. He thought he heard an old engine popping in the distance, then figured it was just damage to his ear from the helicopter crash. But when it got slightly louder, he got worried. "Does anybody else hear that?"

They all paused to listen, but immediately, Marlene and Denzel came crashing through the door. "Cloud!" Marlene called.

Right then, they heard the thrum of a motorcycle cranking up just outside. Reno and Cloud leapt to their feet in unison. "The Turks are coming!" Denzel exclaimed. "She thought we would all be in danger. She said she'd draw them off."

"Oh, no," Reeve sighed. Cloud and Reno glanced at each other and both tore for the door.

They came out just as Avera took off in a cloud of dust. It blinded them, and they stood choking for a while. When it finally cleared, Avera was gone. Reno blinked in a sort of fondness. His girl could sure pilot a motorcycle… "Let's go!" He shouted, jumping onto Tifa's bike. Cloud nodded briefly and headed for Fenrir. The chase was on.

_**12:00noon**_

Hojo interrupted Rufus in the middle of his lunch. "We just got word from the Turks," he announced as he walked in. "Apparently they've found the specimen and are giving chase."

"It won't be easy if Reno's with them," he replied, wiping his mouth with a napkin. "Between his skill and his temper I'll be surprised if they come back at all."

"Apparently Reno lost track of her. He gave chase when she tried to draw them off. But they accidentally split up. She's on her way towards Kalm, and he's branched off to Junon. Tseng and Elena are following he and Cloud."

"Cloud's with them?" His eyes flashed up as he looked over his beef stroganoff. At an affirmative, he dropped his fork and looked out the window. Now he'd have to find replacements for Tseng and Elena. That left Rude. Well, maybe Rude could be first in command. After all, he would be the senior officer. And he had muscle in a fight. Turks were dropping like flies lately. "And Avera?"

"Rude took a truck and is after the specimen."

He nodded. Rude handled her the last time when no one else could, and he figured he could do it again. "And why are you here? Couldn't wait for my secretary to tell me herself?"

Hojo leaned over the table enthusiastically. "Don't you see? The specimen is of good health and energy! I believe we can safely continue with the plan."

"You want to take it to the next stage already?"

"Of course! Once we have her back in hand, we can move on to expansion stages. If we're going to breed her, however, I would like to get a head start on your genetic coding."

Rufus was silent for a while. Hojo watched him quietly, waiting for an argument. Instead, he turned with a smile. "Then I should finish my lunch and get to the lab," he agreed. "Reno's quite the womanizer. He'll replace her in no time. No harm done. Have my mattress turned and my pillow fluffed when I get there."

Hojo giggled. "Only the best for you, sir."

They enjoyed the rest of the rolls together, laughing in glee at their imminent success.

**Memory:** _"Reno?"_

_I remembered how angry I was at being interrupted. It was my week off. I was mending my broken body and my damaged soul after the plate had come crashing down on Midgar. I had committed murder for the upteenth time for Shinra, and I was decidedly sick of it. Midgar had been my hometown, and even though I knew hardly anyone there, the thought of killing the people I should have gone to high school with bothered me. I was now in Wutai, wanting to drink until I got alcohol poisoning and died myself. I didn't open my eyes, hoping the bar broad, whoever she was, would go away. My feet on the table twitched. _

_Whoever she was, she was halfway giggling. "Reno of the Turks."_

_I opened my eyes then, all the alcohol fueling my temper. I was ready to shout at her to go the hell away, that I didn't need the presence of a drunk hooker. Before I got a single word out, my mouth formed an "O" and my feet fell off the table. There she was. The girl that was supposed to have died three years before. She was nineteen and wonderfully gorgeous. Her hair was down for the first time; her emerald eyes seemed to glow with light. Her mouth parted into a smile just slightly, her tongue just barely brushing her lower lip. Reno didn't move. He stared at her stupidly, that same expression on his face. _

"_You okay?"_

_It started just like that. We started a conversation and she kept me company for over two hours. She insisted on doing that, saying she could tell I was having a hard time. Unfortunately, her father came looking for her. Her face went frozen as he screamed her name from the doorway. He then swaggered over to our table angrily. "Where the hell you've been?" He slurred. He stunk of days-old booze._

"_Sorry," she said humbly. My eyes turned to hers, noting her expression. Not anger, not even sadness. Just discomfort. They traveled to the bruise I had noticed before, just over her left clavicle. Then they floated back to the drunk._

"_Sorry? That's all you have to say?" His hand flashed out, wrenching her forearm. She winced in pain, but her demeanor never changed. Apparently she was used to this sort of thing. "Sorry don't put supper on the table."_

_Before I realized what I was doing, I shot out of my chair, slamming my glass down on the table. Avera's face registered absolute shock as I got into his face. To this day, I don't even know why I did that. Sure, I thought she was cute. And I was really enjoying her company. But I think maybe just a tiny part of me didn't like getting interrupted in the middle of my booze. "Make your own damn slop," I shouted, angrily. Maybe we were both mean drunks, I don't know. But I didn't appreciate him treating any woman like that, much less….my Avera._

"_What was that?"_

"_You heard me," I muttered angrily, grabbing his arm that was on hers. "Piss off." I shoved him back, away from her. He advanced, and I came at him again. I shoved him harder this time, and he fell on his back in the floor. "She'll go home when she damn well feels like it tonight."_

"_Reno!" She stood up, grabbing my arm. I whirled. Okay, I was slightly drunk. For a split second, I thought I was being attacked. I went for my shock-rod in pure habit, but I saw her eyes. She glared at me, just warning me to try it. I dropped my hand, chuckling in embarrassment. _

_The drunk came to his feet angrily. "You some kind of hero?" He spat._

"_Today I am," I chirped in like the natural smart aleck I am. "All of Midgar thinks so, I'm sure. But you're welcome to try and find out for yourself."_

_He growled at me, pointing a finger at Avera. "This isn't over." He left as quickly as he had come._

"_You didn't have to do that," she told me, seriously. "He gets mad, he goes away."_

"_Yeah," I drawled sarcastically. "And leaves little mementoes." I touched a finger to the scar over her eyebrow from the cut she had received years before._

_She looked panicked for a moment, and then jerked my hand away angrily. "Don't," she warned me. She swallowed hard, and for a second, I could have sworn I saw fear, beneath all that tough stuff. _

"_Okay, look, Avera. I've got the week off, see?"_

_She frowned. I know, I know. I was changing the subject pretty quickly. Hey, I was drunk._

"_I got air miles and I have a tourist package for Costa Del Sol. May as well go while I'm on vacation. I might not get another chance, otherwise."_

_She blinked. "Sounds like a good idea. You should go. You need the r and r."_

"_Nah--"I waved my hand and she had to catch me before I fell over. "I mean, what fun is the beach without a pretty girl?" She watched me, trying to figure me out. "I mean, ya' wanna go?"_

_She stared at me in confusion and suspicion for a minute, and then at the sound of a glass bottle breaking outside, she jumped a bit, jerking my jacket (which she was already holding onto to keep me upright). She smiled. "Sorry." She turned to the door, where her father threw another bottle at the door, trying to hurry her up. "I'd love to."_

Avera was sure she had lost Rude. After all, when she and Reno split up, the Turks had to land the helicopter and get on separate vehicles. Considering the fact that they first had to _**find**_ the vehicle they would use, and then the fact that they were now land-based, she knew she would be hard to track. In Kalm, she parked behind the clinic in a dark alley and counted ten minutes before proceeding. She bribed a girl for her cloak with the necklace her father had given her when she was six, and took off for the bus depot. She was positive she could make it back to Midgar by the end of the night, if she timed transports well.

She sat in a middle seat, keeping her head low. She knew her eyes were now extremely odd and easy to recognize. She was thinking of how much Reno would yell for taking off without him. She could almost imagine his blue eyes blazing, his nose matching the color of the tattoos under his eyes. She gave a stifled giggle, and that's when she felt the gloved hand on her neck. She froze, eyes going wide.

"Don't turn around," the deep voice warned her. "You're heading back to Midgar?"

There was no use lying. "Yes," she whispered calmly.

"Why? To be with Reno?"

"To find him, yes."

The grip on her neck tightened. "Don't lie to me. Do you have a relationship with him?"

"Yes," she struggled. The squeeze of his fingers was starting to get uncomfortable.

"And do you love him?"

Her eyes narrowed and she paused. Why did he want to know that? What did it matter to him, so long as he had her? Was he planning on taking it out on Reno some kind of way? The grip got tighter, hurting this time. "Yes!" She gasped. "And he'll give you hell when he finds out what you're doing."

"What? Escorting you to him?" The gloved hand fell away from her neck.

She whirled around, coming eye-to-eye with Rude. "What?"

"Here." He took off his sunglasses. He handed them to her casually. "They won't be able to see your eyes."

Her jaw dropped slightly as she took them away. This was Reno's partner, Rude. The one that defeated her the first time, in Wutai. She remembered Reno saying once that his partner never parted with his glasses, under penalty of suicide. "Rude…I….Thank you, Rude."

"Don't worry," he reached into his pocket and pulled out another pair. She grinned at him. "Never leave home without them." He then sat next to her, as if they rode the bus together every day.

She put the glasses on, stealing a peek at him. "Why are you doing this for me?"

"I'm not."

"For Reno, then," she replied, without hesitation.

He looked at her, no emotion registering on his face, as usual. "Maybe," he finally responded.

"Why did you ask me that; you know, what you asked a second ago?"

He shrugged one shoulder to pop his neck. He kept his face turned straight ahead, and unreadable. "Because if you said no, I would have killed you. But you said you did, so I believe you."

"Why?"

"Because it takes a very honest person to admit they like Reno."

She laughed heartily.

He looked away, pulling out his PHS.

"What are you doing?"

He sighed. Was she going to keep up all this idle banter? She couldn't be like this all the time. Rude knew for a fact Reno wasn't into the talkative type. He was more into the "shut-up-and-give-me-sugar" type. Oh, well. If Reno insisted on making his own life miserable, who was he to stop him? "I'm calling your boyfriend," he muttered. Before she could ask another question, he raised his hand to silence her. "He'll meet us in Sector Four."

She grinned at him merrily. "Thank you."

He stole another glance at her when she wasn't looking. He took in her gleaming smile; her flushed cheeks at the mention of seeing Reno; long hair of the palest yellow he had ever seen in his life; high cheekbones; Mako eyes under the sunglasses, with an old faint scar on the right eyebrow; A halter top under the open denim jacket. By looks alone he could see why Reno tolerated her chatter. She overlapped her slender fingers as she yawned, politely bowing her head. Then, she craned her slender neck until she was comfortably rested against the window. _**How did Reno get a girl that pretty? That's not fair at all.**_"Are you going to sleep?"

A flicker of a smile touched her lips. "Hardly. I'm talking."

He set his teeth for the chatter to start again when he realized she wasn't talking about speaking with him. She was totally relaxed, smiling to herself. A shiver ran over his spine. He dialed Reno's number hesitantly. He hoped he knew what he was doing.

"I can't believe we lost them again!" Elena hissed in irritation. Tseng walked beside her, quietly contemplating the situation. Elena's hand was in his pocket—it got cold at night around this area. It was very late. They had been hunting for Reno and Cloud for hours, ever since they rented the car for the drive to Junon. "And I just can't get why Reno would do this! Even he's not so stupid as to leave the Turks to protect some psycho science experiment!"

"I'm sure he has his reasons," Tseng answered, quietly.

She paused. "Boss, you're not….taking up for him, are you?"

"Of course not. I'm just saying that Reno's not stupid. A bit unprofessional… sloppy maybe….but not stupid. And he's always drawn a line between duty and loyalty."

Elena nodded. "Come to think of it, he's never been the same since the Midgar plate incident."

"Maybe he does have the right idea about a thing or two," he said, a crooked smile on his face. They reached their destination—the deserted Chopper 3. "How about it, Elena? Want to call it a day?"

She looked at him curiously for a moment, then smiled darkly. "You are the leader," she replied, stepping up to him. "So I guess I have to do whatever you say. Unless you go AWOL, too."

He touched her hair absent-mindedly. "Don't count on it."

DAY SIX

_**I had always considered Rude my Turk buddy. Sometimes I even thought of him like my brother. I respected, admired him in a way. But I didn't understand him, really. I felt sometimes like I was the only one with a conscience. That being said, I knew all in all that he was a good guy. I didn't realize how good he was until I saw him with her, protecting her that way. I think that may have been when I really regarded him as my brother.**_

_**----- **_

Reno killed the motorcycle and hit the pavement at a dead run. Cloud rolled his eyes and pulled Fenrir up alongside his. If the ex-Turk didn't slow down, he was going to have a heart attack and keel over. The Turk ran through Sector Four alleyway until he saw Rude's gloved hand waving from the shadow of a building. Gulping for air, he slid to a halt next to him. "Avera?"

"She's asleep," Rude answered calmly.

He glanced to his left to see her curled up next to a garbage can, her cloak wadded up under her head. "On the _**ground**_? Are you insane?" He knelt beside her as Rude argued.

"What do you want me to do? Hold her? She's not _**my**_ girlfriend."

"Avera?" Reno touched her hand as he rocked back on his heels.

Rude shook his head. "The war inside of her is beginning. She won't wake up at all for a few hours." At Reno's angry click at the back of his throat, he figured he'd better offer some solace. "She's regenerating. She's perfectly safe."

He glared at his partner. "Safe? You call this safe? She's sleeping next to a garbage can in a dark alley because our stupid boss has some psycho plan to use her to take over the world!" He hopped up, angrily indignant.

He shrugged. "You could thank me?"

Reno's chest heaved as he tried to calm down. "Right, buddy. Sorry. Didn't mean to take it out on you."

Cloud finally showed up in the filtered light from the street. "You turned, too?" He asked Rude in disbelief.

"I'm helping Reno," he replied. "But I'm still loyal to the president."

"How can you say that?" Reno snapped. "Look at her!"

Rude smirked at him. "Look at this." He held up a data screen between his fore and pointer fingers.

"What's this?" He griped, snatching it away.

"Hojo's report, the President's medical files, his personal log, progress plan—everything. The president isn't the one to blame. That's why I still claim loyalty to him. There's a lot there, so we should probably read it on the way."

Reno scrolled through it quickly with an incredulous curl to his top lip. There was indeed a lot. Plus, it was getting late. Along with the dark came increasing cold. His girlfriend was cuddling with an aluminum garbage can. He made a grunt and handed it back to his partner. "Hang onto this for me."

"Give me your phone."

"Why?"

"I have to destroy it."

"What! What do you have against my phone?"

"It's got a tracking device installed. It's how we found you. I threw mine out the window." He held out his hand.

"But it's new."

"Reno!" Cloud and Rude fussed in unison.

He made a tsch sound in his mouth. "Fine." He patted his pockets, searching for it. "Rude? You threw yours out the window? For me? What a sweetheart."

"Hand it over," he retorted, grumpily.

"Hang on a second, will ya?" He complained, searching harder. He finally looked up in confusion. "Where is….argh! Grr! That….Damn woman!" He glanced at Cloud. "That brat stole my phone?"

He looked unimpressed and unconcerned. "Who? Yuffie?"

"Yes! Jeez! And I thought I had built up a nice repor with her! I did kill Don Corneo for her, right? I'm dating her best friend, ain't I? Once a thief, always a thief!"

Cloud crossed his arms. "Sort of like Shinra spies."

"Ergh! What was that?" He dove for Cloud, but Rude held him back. He gave up quickly. He didn't feel like fighting anyone, tonight, anyway.

Rude shook his head. "I was wondering why you never responded to my message," he wondered aloud. "Guess now I know. That girl's got some talent."

"Oh yeah, real good with her hands," Reno spat sarcastically. "I knew you'd like her!"

Cloud waved nonchalantly. "I'll get it; chop it in half and pretend it's Reno."

Reno flipped up his left middle angrily. "You're not winning any medals here, either, yo!" He rolled his eyes. "Do whatever you frickin' well want. It's not like I couldn't get fifty more with my salary."

Cloud was about to pop off again that he was fired when Rude stepped in. "A friend of mine has agreed to put her up at the Golden Saucer. They have a new inn there and apparently she and Reno have quite an amusing reputation."

"You talkin' about Dio?" Reno asked with a smile.

Rude nodded.

"That's perfect! He's one cool guy! I tell you; the things he'd let us get away with…"

"See ya," Cloud flatly interrupted, and left.

Reno looked at Rude as if asking what he did. "Good to see ya, partner."

"You look like hell."

"Yeah, well, this crazy Turk shot me out of the sky while I was enjoying a nice little helicopter ride. You wouldn't believe it." He chuckled, turning to pick up Avera. "It's amazing, too, because I'm such a good pilot."

"Maybe he's better."

"Nah…" He grunted as he picked her up. "It was a lucky shot."

"Lucky shot? He's twice the pilot you are."

"Twice as good at being blind." They argued like that all the way to the truck Rude had rented. Finally, Reno turned to Rude with a smile. "Really—it's good to have ya back, buddy. I was getting kinda lonesome, there."

**Memory:**_It was raining, it was dark, and it was cold. That's really all I really remembered about that night before she showed up. I did have one drink, but I had been purposefully limiting myself for a month, now. I think I was afraid of turning into her old crappy dad. Or maybe I just wanted her respect. Or maybe I found more interesting things to think about than the bottom of another bottle. I don't know. I still liked booze…anyway! I was trying to catch up on a little late-night programming when I heard a knock on my door. I frowned, turning up the television set. I thought it was probably my next-door neighbor trying to hook me up with his ugly sister again. There was another knock, louder, more insistent. "Go away, Earl!" I yelled out the door. "I told you already; I have a girlfriend, okay?"_

_Whoever they were, they started flat-palming it. I was just about to get really pissed off when I heard her voice. "Reno, please. It's me. Please!"_

_I jumped off the couch, checking my reflection in the mirror quickly before I opened the door. I mean, what girl wants to see a slob of a boyfriend? I cast a forlorn glance at my garbage tray of a coffee table as the doorknob spun and it opened. I had started to smile, but I felt more like I was choking when I saw her. She was all messed up. Black eye, split lip, gash on the forehead. Rage came up inside of me so hot I think I actually hallucinated about killing her stupid father. Her eyes were tearing up. "Sorry. I couldn't go to Yuffie's. She's out for the weekend. I wasn't going to come; I know how you feel about your company finding out, but it's sort of cold, and I knew you wouldn't like me to be out in…."_

_I dragged her inside by the blanket she had wrapped around her. Her teeth were chattering violently. "Come here," I told her, drawing her over to the recliner. "Just got to get you warmed up."_

_She studied me carefully as I took that old blanket and hunted around for a new one. "You're angry with me, aren't you?"_

_I feigned innocence. "No. What do you mean?"_

_"You're mad at me for not doing anything about it. For not fighting back."_

_"Maybe you shouldn't have to," I don't think I ever remember trying so hard to be so calm. "Maybe you need—you know, somebody to—take care of the situation—you know, for you." I handed her the blanket, staring into those green eyes I was so fond of; the green eyes he had pounded with his dirty fists._

_"I was an orphan, Reno. He took me in when no one else did. I don't know why he gets so mad at me sometimes. Sometimes I feel like he's testing me, to see what I'll do. But I don't know what he wants, so I don't do anything." She sighed, her teeth still chattering. "I can fight him off. I've had training. But I just don't want to. I don't think I could forgive myself for fighting back."_

_"You think you deserve this?" I shouted angrily. _

_"Of course not," she said, still so calm. "I don't think anyone deserves this. That's why I refuse to hurt him. I'm not like him."_

_I smirked at her. "Well, maybe I am."_

_She looked concerned. "Please Reno, don't. He's my dad. It could even get worse. He says he hates the Shinra and if you--"_

_"Relax. I'm not gonna kill him." All the while I was thinking to myself that when I got through with him, he was going to wish I had. _

_She frowned, not quite believing me. "Besides, I can deal with it. If I just—close my eyes, it's eventually over. I'm still alive, the pain isn't as bad as I think, and I just go somewhere else until he feels better about everything."_

_My stomach was churning up something vile into my throat. I thought to myself I would feel better about the whole thing when I hit him twice for every time he hit his daughter. I forced a smile. "Well, I'm glad you came. I was trying to watch the late-late show. They say it's always better when you have someone who can laugh with you. So-" I tried not to look at her for a second. I knew she was tearing up on me. We fell into this awkward silence for a minute. I put my hand in my pocket, looking away. I didn't know what to say to her. How could I shout about her old man? I was a murderer, myself. It wouldn't be anything big for me to waltz over there and shoot his horrid face off. That was my job. I was used to it—sort-of. You never get used to the smell of blood, no matter what they say, and you can never stop your ears from hearing the screams of all the families that miss them. I blinked when I realized I was tearing up, too._

_"Maybe I should go."_

_My eyes shot up to her. She was making her way to the door. "No!" I yelled, almost desperately. She turned to me, surprise in her eyes. I balled my fist inside my jacket. I was scared, I was mad, and I was half-stupid, but I wasn't going to let her go sleep in the rain while I daydreamed about wonderful ways to torture her dad. _

_"But what if your partner or Shinra…?"_

_"Screw 'em. Um…I think I have an old shirt you can wear. And uh…we'll rent on pay-per-view. And if you fall asleep, just fall asleep. What do I care?" _

_Her mouth twitched a bit, and then she smiled. My heart froze inside of me. Even all banged up, she was gorgeous. "What if I snore?"_

_Before I realized it, I was smiling, too. "So what? You'll be in good company."_

_"Snoring isn't very lady like."_

_"You mean you do snore?"_

_She blushed. "I don't know. No one's ever told me before."_

_I moved to her, leaning against the door behind her with a purposeful motion to see how close she'd let me get. She didn't move, but her eyes darted a bit nervously. She put a hand to her lip as she smiled—apparently smiling wasn't doing anything to close the wound on her mouth. "I don't care whether you snore or not," I flirted with her, leaning in a bit closer. "Sleeping anywhere close to you is pretty good any way you look at it."_

_She laughed then. I knew that would work. She never could hold up against the Reno charm. I leaned in and let her rest her head on my neck._

_We watched maybe a movie and a half. She was nestled under my arm, warm against my side, all curled up in that blanket I had given her. Well, all except for part of her left leg. I picked a thread off of the knee of my pants absent-mindedly and almost viciously as I listened to her breathe. She was sleeping there, perfectly safe and content. Yeah; safe and content and black and blue. I glanced at her, swearing in my head: 'I don't care what you say, Avera. It's for your own good. The next person that touches you is on the Reno Turk hit list. I don't care who they are.' I felt the fingertips of my left hand tingle, just like it did whenever I used the shock rod. I just couldn't wait to get my revenge. Part of me thought I would feel badly for killing her father. The rest shrugged it off. I was over-protective and a murderer. With those two combined, what would make it so difficult?_

Rufus woke up with a start in the comfort of the laboratory bed comforter. His eyes, sharp and focused, danced over the ceiling. It seemed pigment to four different colors, all swirling in a beautiful display of beauty. The voices started. Beautiful, clear voices, fighting for his strength. He felt wanted; so powerful. His mouth split into a smile, and he laughed.

Hojo looked up from his paperwork. His face glowed with the revelation that everything was falling into place. "What is it? What are you feeling?" This was too good. Everything was going so well.

"I can hear her," Rufus drawled sleepily. His laughter increased, almost to hysterics. "She's singing to me."

It was comfortable enough next to her bed in Dio's luxury suites. But honestly, after four hours of sitting in any chair, no matter how plush, your butt begins to ache. She was sort of tossing and turning and he was squirming in his seat when she suddenly snapped awake. "Out!" She screamed.

Despite his concern, he cracked a smile. "Jeez. Sorry, your highness."

She looked at him in confusion.

"Hello."

"What are you doing?"

He stood up, tossing the data screen in the seat. "Reading, I suppose. What was all that yelling at me for?" He sat next to her. He suddenly realized how tired he was. He hadn't gotten over half an hour of sleep in the past four days. His left eye was still killing him. His neck felt like he had vice-grips laced with fire materia on them.

"You look tired." One of her hands fell in his lap, to reach for his own.

"Yeah, maybe," he smiled. "Besides, I'm not used to going this long sober."

She grinned sleepily, fighting hard to stay awake. "Is that why we're still alive?"

He shot a surprised look at her. "What was that?"

She giggled. "I'm just kidding." She paused, running her hand up his forearm. "You need some rest."

He didn't argue. That was a bad sign. She fought harder the urge to sink back to sleep; instead, she focused her attention on Reno. "Come on, Turkey. Rest."

He did as he was told, fairly falling next to her. He had her cuddled up to him like a giant teddy bear in about three seconds flat, faking sleep.

"That's not what I meant."

He ignored that last statement. "What was that shouting about?"

She was fairly uncomfortable, but she was too tired to fight about it. "I can hear Rufus--" She paused, hearing his breath stop for a moment. "I guess maybe his plan is working."

"Never," he groggily mumbled. He was fading fast.

"I can hear them all. It's the Cetra gene. It must be."

There was a fairly long pause. "No; why wouldn't I hear it?" he slurred.

She gave herself a start at that last comment. "What do you mean by that? Reno?" It was no use. His breath was now strong and steady in her ear. Try as she might, she also couldn't prevent the sleep from overtaking her as well. Just as she entered the realm between sleep and awake, however, she heard a voice again. "My blood is Cetra—I am Cetra." She was too tired to wonder what that meant.

_**The voices were stronger that night than ever before. In fact, I hardly ever actually heard them. Maybe twice a year, tops. Most of the time I thought I was drunk when I did. The last time I had heard it was when the lifestream healed geostigma. And even then, I couldn't really tell what they were saying; They were more mumbled and gibberish. It was kind of scary, but this night was completely different. The voices were loud and crystal clear. One must have been that Ancient—the flower girl. I also heard that kid of Cloud's, and that girl he was always hanging around with. There were a few I didn't recognize, too. But in the far distance, beyond all that, I heard Avera.**_

_**I found not only could I speak to a few of them, I could listen in. And though at first I couldn't figure out how to talk back, I drowned out everyone else and listened to her.**_

_**----- **_

She seemed to be talking to herself, although Reno knew that was ridiculous. In what appeared to be a dream, he stepped closer to her. Everything around him seemed white and empty—except that woman in front of him. Her long hair blew behind her gently, blowing in a breeze that was unfelt. She was wearing a black cloak, which creeped him out a bit. "Stay out!" She said firmly. "You have no right!"

At first he thought she was talking about him and he got a little miffed. But then Rufus appeared out of thin air, right next to Reno. He instinctively jumped, but apparently couldn't be seen just yet. "I have just as much right as you. My blood is Cetra—I am Cetra."

She turned to him, then. Reno could see with deep satisfaction that her eyes were green again and she was wearing a white jumpsuit under the black cloak. She didn't say anything to him. Instead, she tried to stare him down. She put her hands on her hips, glowering at him.

"Beautiful," Rufus breathed. "You'll be the perfect mother for my perfect race of sons."

Reno did a double take. "Say what?"

If they realized he was there, they gave no indication. Instead, she tossed her head and laughed. "Keep dreaming, sir. It may happen then."

He smiled. "We're the same. I have been infused with the compound. The dose is more concentrated than yours, and I don't have the luxury of being a Sephiroth clone. But I feel the burn. Surely, you do, too?"

"The only burn I feel is a burning desire to knock your block off."

"You tell him, Bright Eyes!" Reno agreed.

"You can try to fight it," Rufus nonchalantly stated, "but soon the burn will devour you. And then our new race will be conceived. It wouldn't be so bad to be an honored mistress of the king of the world, eh?"

Reno jumped at him. "Over my dead body, you…."

They both looked at him. "Reno?" He asked in surprise. "I had no idea you had the capability to get this far."

"Stay away from her!" He growled.

"This could be a problem," Rufus said to himself, fading out. "His genes are advanced. The fire may…"

Avera stepped up to him in relief. "I'm so glad you're here. But…why….are you here?"

"Who me? Not sure. Never got this far, heh-heh."

She paused, looking to the right of his shoulder. "You must be. You must have the Cetra gene?"

He nodded. "Found out about it two years ago. They were going to see if I had gotten infected with geostigma. They said I had natural immunity because I was in the later stages of Cetra implantation."

"Implantation? Were they experimenting on you, too?"

"Heck, no. Apparently it was happening naturally." He smiled at her. "Isn't it nice that we have more in common now?"

She stiffened, almost as if someone had frightened her. Her eyes stared into his as she started to fade. Fear ran all over her features. "She's fighting me!" She gasped. "Jenova! I have to…" And she faded away.

"Wait! Avera!"

"….She's gone for a little while."

Reno turned to see Denzel standing beside him. He smiled and pointed at himself. "She sent me to tell you everything. She says you have to know how to protect Avera."

"Who sent you? That flower girl?"

Denzel smiled spookily. "No. Ifalna."


	4. Chapter 4

DAY SEVEN

_**It's difficult to explain the stages of growth a man goes through when he meets the right one. I was a screwed up person: Usually, if I wasn't laughing my butt off at something I was killing someone. So I never had really seen myself as a big romancer, or a crier, or a lover—well, maybe that; Or a "sweetie-pie" or whatever women like to call the good boys; I never saw myself letting women in for anything more than what I wanted from them. But as every tough guy knows, things change a lot when you meet her. You get that look, that sweet dip of the lower lip, the kind eyes that tear your world apart. And suddenly you've gone from MurderMac to Crybaby. The funny thing is that makes you feel even more like a man than before.**_

-----

Elena woke up groggily first, to a steady beat of her PHS. She rolled over groggily, fumbling for it in the filtered light of the chopper. She gave a grunt as her fingers slipped off and knocked it out of her reach. Beside her, Tseng started to stir. She almost didn't catch it in time. "This is Elena," she slurred, wiping her eyes. "Yes…We're still on the job. We're about to head out now…Is that wise?…." She glanced at Tseng as they filled her in. He had thrown her jacket over his head to keep out the light. "No. No problem, but, are you sure sir?"

The jacket came off. "What?"

"It's just that I think Reno would come around if--" She put her hand over the receiver. "You should talk to him."

Tseng narrowed his eyes and put out his hand.

"Tseng wants to hear." She handed him the phone. "You won't like it."

There was a gentle tap on the door. Avera wanted to ignore it. Last night had been hard: To hear from Rufus his obvious intentions, to speak to Reno, and then to fight Jenova's mind control all night long… it was so frustrating! Not to mention exhausting; She felt as if she hadn't rested at all. It was so much different from the day before, when she woke up refreshed and full of energy. Besides, she was comfortable here in the warm blankets, Reno snoring softly beside her.

She glanced over at him with a smile. He had a scar on the bridge of his nose and at the top of his forehead. His left eye was slightly swollen and a greenish color. His red hair was scattered over his neck. He looked totally relaxed for the first time since this mission. One hand was on his chest and the other was palm-up on her pillow. She intentionally brushed her cheek across his fingertips before she got up. She wearily rose herself and headed for the door.

She glanced down at him in surprise. "Denzel?"

"I need to talk to you."

"Can it wait?"

He shook his head.

"Oh, okay. Give me a minute to change, okay?"

He nodded, stepping back out of the doorway. She sighed. She'd much rather be in bed, snoring off yesterday's turmoil. She leaned against the door for a moment, watching Reno sigh and turn over. _**Power lies before you.**_ She pinched the bridge of her nose and fought the words away. _**Domination at your fingertips**_! "Shut up!" She whispered, digging into the skin with her nails. _**Come to me, my last darling remnant.**_ "I have nothing you want," she whispered back, fighting even harder.

The words fled and she got some relief. Making sure Reno was still asleep, she changed into the clothes Tifa had bought for her; dawning sunglasses and a tight twist in her hair, she stepped outside the room and walked almost directly into Cloud. He had apparently just returned with Yuffie and Tifa. "Sorry," she muttered.

He gazed at her for a moment. "Do you hear her, Avera?"

She glanced up suspiciously. "Her, who?"

He paused. "Either."

She stared hard at him, trying to determine what his motives were. Reno didn't trust him as far as he could throw him, and quite frankly, the feeling was mutual. _**He's your brother,**_ another voice said. _**Someone you can trust.**_ She smiled ironically. "Both, I'm afraid."

"You have to fight Jenova, Avera. You have to fight with everything you have."

"Cloud—why didn't I hear her before? If I'm a Sephiroth clone….?"

He shook his head. "I don't know. I didn't hear her, either, until I got to a crucial part of her plan. Just promise me you'll fight, do you understand?"

"I do, it's just…." A sob laid heavily in her chest. She was so confused. "It hurts so badly, Cloud. To think she may try to use me against my friends, against children, against Reno…"

He smiled at her sympathetically. "Believe me, I know. Take solace in the fact that you are a clone and have a resistance to that pain. Rufus doesn't."

Her eyes stopped welling up and she smiled in gratitude. "That is good news."

He slapped her shoulder. "Hang in there." He walked off towards Tifa's room.

She watched him for a moment in puzzlement. A few days ago, Cloud Strife was just a legend to her. She hadn't even seen him when he was chasing Yuffie in Wutai; she had to run an errand to Midgar. She used to only hear about him in whispers and shining eyes. Now he was always around—helping her, fighting with her, bullying her boyfriend—it seemed to real to be true. Not to mention the fact that he was sort-of her brother! How strange everything turned out to be!

What was she supposed to be doing, now? Oh yeah. Denzel. She followed a crisp breeze outside and found the nine-year-old on the patio, overlooking the grand sights of the Golden Saucer. "What's that?" He asked in wonder, pointing out to his left.

She smiled, leaning against the railing with him, as if they were old friends at the fencepost. "That's the chocobo track. People race them there for games and money."

"I don't see any chocobos."

"They're probably closed until this afternoon. Can't race them nonstop, can they?"

He looked up at her, young wise eyes full of intrigue. "Can we go there sometime?"

"Of course." The breeze felt good in her hair. She leaned into it, momentarily reveling in the absolute silence of her own mind. "Denzel, why do you have a black eye?" The boy seemed too smart and gentle to be a rough-houser.

He bowed his head ever so slightly. "Sometimes, I forget I'm in public," he said softly. "And I talk back."

She nodded. "Because you hear the Cetra in your mind?"

He glanced at her. "But, the reason I want to talk to you is Reno."

She raised an eyebrow. "What about him?"

"He loves you."

She giggled. He had said it so dead serious. It sounded strange coming from a voice that hadn't even changed yet. "Good to know."

"But he's having a hard time. He still wants to be a Turk, deep down inside. He read a report that shows that Hojo is the one behind all of this. He thinks the president isn't entirely at fault. He thinks he's going insane and he's hoping that he will get better soon. And he's afraid to tell you that. He's afraid you won't understand."

"Why would he be afraid to tell me?"

"Because the other half hates his life as a Turk in Shinra. He used to be glad he was one. Now he's not so sure. He hasn't been sure for a long time. He says the happiest day of his life was when Rufus Shinra decided to repair the damage he had done." He sighed. "It was a way to make up for mistakes. He believed he would be more worthy of you, or something like that, if you saw him trying to do better. He wants to prove to everyone that he's not a murderer. He said something about being marked as a murderer for years."

She looked off into the distance. Jenova pierced her own thoughts with her opinionated outburst: _**Fool!**_ But she knew exactly what Reno was talking about. It was something they had discussed a year before, and she knew what he meant by his murder marks. She knew the guilt that stared back at him every time he looked into a mirror. "Poor Reno," she whispered.

"And there's more. The Cetra want to rebuild, repopulate. That's why Reno's Cetra genes are expanding. And that's why they've chosen me."

"Chosen?" She put a hand to her forehead. She was so tired.

"To be the first New Ancient."

Her lip twisted up in the corner. New Ancient. What a redundancy. "So I suppose you've told Cloud that, by now?"

He nodded. "I think he's glad to know for sure."

She paused. "Denzel…. what's going to happen to those without the Cetra gene?"

He shook his head calmly. "I don't know, yet."

Her eyes faded, looking through him for a moment. She knew what would happen, somewhere deep in her soul. She held her breath, finding the Ancient voice within her. "Are you any better than Jenova?" She asked. Silence followed. Of course, when she wanted them to answer, they wouldn't.

"Hi ya."

Avera turned to see Yuffie slinking through the doorway in a suspicious manner. "Yuffie? What's up?"

"Reno didn't tell you?"

"Tell me what?"

She extended her hand that held a Turk PHS that had been sliced in half. "Could you tell him I'm sorry?"

Avera looked at her hand for a few moments in confusion, then sighed. "Yuffie…."

"Hey, I had a good reason!"

"You stole his phone?"

"But I needed it!"

"And then you cut it half?"

"It wasn't me!"

"I wouldn't blame him if he's angry."

"But, I really needed it!" Yuffie rounded on her, whispering in her ear. Little Denzel watched curiously as Avera's face changed from aggravation to confusion and then to amusement. She winked at him—a cue that it was funny. Finally, she pulled away. "Okay, okay."

"You will?"

"Yes, I will." She walked for the door, giggling to himself. Denzel followed.

"Don't be obvious about it, ok?"

"Please; it's me." She opened the sliding doors and then let Denzel go through first. "He's going to laugh so hard he'll turn the color of his hair."

"OOOh….You MEANIE!"

**Memory:**I showed up in Wutai fairly late that evening but in a cheerful and delightfully drunk mood. I whistled as I stepped out of the chopper; examining the rose in my hand merrily. Cloud had stopped Meteor, destroyed Sephiroth, and I had just gotten word that Rufus and Tseng were both alive. Rude and Me had gone out to celebrate, and I figured instead of going home I'd pick up a few flowers and romance Avera to celebrate. Well, I spent most of my gil on booze, so I could only afford one flower. Oh, well. She would love it. It was coming from me, right?

I checked the bar first, but it was closed. I shrugged. There was a party going on in the tower as a reunion for Yuffie. Maybe she would be there. I sang and laughed at myself as I walked down the way. Yep, I was zonked. It didn't matter. I was in a good mood. As I passed by her house, I noticed the lights were on. I paused in mid-step, trying to see if there was anyone home. Just then, I heard something hit the inside of the wall. I froze; somewhere inside of me the anger hit hard and fresh. I knew what was going on. I dropped the rose and pulled my shock-rod, hearing their voices as I ran:

"Stop it!" Avera yelled. "Just—go to the party like everyone else! Why do you have to be this way? What do you want?"

"Strong words! You're so tough; fight back! I didn't send you to fancy classes to sit on your ass and cry!"

I ground my teeth together, trying the front door. It was locked. Figures. I heard the sound of a hand smacking skin. I let out a strangled sob, suddenly desperate. I just had to kill him! It was the strangest desire I had ever had. The strongest urge to taste blood ever. "Dad, I won't let you anymore!" She cried. "Reno told me to fight you, and I'm going to do it!"

"Good! Then maybe you'll be worth the money I've spent on you! Tell him thanks!"

I glanced through the window and saw him tackle her, to which she responded by a push and then a perfect round-off kick in the most impressive form I had ever seen. My eyebrows shot up on my forehead in surprise before I kicked the door in. There, to my utter horror, her father grabbed her by the hair and shoved her into the open door. In slow-motion, I saw her head smack the door I was standing in. She reeled back, blood gushing from her nose.

"Well, well," her father said, as she slumped to the floor. "If it ain't Mister Hero!"

I made a strangled roar as I ran at him angrily. I've never felt such horrible pain in all my life. I can't describe what I felt—you wouldn't understand unless you've been in such a situation. To this day, I don't remember what I did to him. I just remember my arm getting really tired from the constant rise and fall of my shock-rod. I think he had already passed out when I was on his back, my rod around his throat, pulling as hard as I could. I think I wanted to snap his head clean off.

"Reno, no!" Her voice sounded distant, but frighteningly clear.

I remember thinking, 'It's for your own good, Avera.' I pulled harder, ignoring her. Her dad choked, white ooze and dabs of blood coming from his mouth.

"Stop it!" She screamed, prying the rod the other direction. God, she was strong. I almost lost my grip altogether. "You're not a murderer!"

I laughed out loud. "Yeah, I am. I'm a professional. Let me work." I snatched the rod away, giving it a good wrench with my hands.

She fell back, sobbing. "Please, Reno, don't do this to me." It was so quiet, so pleading. I paused, relaxing my grip a little as I looked up at her. "I'll do anything—just don't!" I hesitated, looking down at the man I wanted to kill so badly I willing to let her hate me for it. "I love you. Don't hurt me like this."

Hurt her? I took in a gagging breath. Was I hurting her? Like this man had hurt her? I gave one last look at my chance of killing him and then let my rod go. He fell flat on his face, and she knocked me over with her embrace. She was sobbing. I could feel a mix of her blood and tears running down my shoulder. All I could do is hold her there, staring at the wall in bewilderment. I never felt so lost in my life.

Two weeks later, when he got back from the hospital(he had a broken back, contusion, and traumatized inflammation of the windpipe), I cornered him in his room when she wasn't around. "Next time," I spat, pressing my hand into his already horribly injured throat, watching him gag with fear in his eyes, "I will kill you, and it will be nice and very painfully slow."

He hasn't touched her since.

Hojo tapped a few calculations into his automated notebook before turning back to Rufus. "No residual effect—sickness of any kind?"

"No. I'm perfectly healthy." He smirked. "I'm better than healthy. I feel full of energy."

The scientist turned away from him; reading the notebook. "Well, enjoy it. At night, you'll be so exhausted you won't be able to stay awake if you tried. At least for the first night. After that you'll be a god among men."

Rufus shut his eyes calmly. "Think of the power I could produce." He smiled, lifting his head to the sky. "I can feel her. She's beginning to feel the burn."

Hojo shrugged. "Hardly a good thing unless we get her away from Reno." He walked up to him, injecting a needle into his skin.

"What's that for?"

"To regulate and enhance your pheromones and hormones. It may help."

Rufus didn't catch the wicked gleam in Hojo's eyes. He frowned angrily. "It's unthinkable that the perfect Jenova/Cetra hybrid could be tainted in that manner! That the Cetra cell should dominate in what would have been a perfect balance and union!"

He turned away from the president after noting with satisfaction that his eyes had turned a blood-red color. He had to compensate the lack of Jenova cells in Rufus by giving him a slightly higher dose. And the pheromone compound he had given him was only to make him go mad with jealousy. There was no way to recover Avera if he still had such an admiration for his former Second-in-Command. The original compound, however, was taking a different toll on the president than on Avera. While he found it fascinating, he certainly didn't change it. He only studied it. "Is that you speaking, sir, or is it Jenova's obsession with procreation? You sound almost jealous."

Rufus shook his head hard. "She belongs to me! She was made as a child by Shinra's funds, she carries the same genetic coding, and she's mine! Don't forget that the Cetra wish to rebuild, also. It doesn't all have to do with Jenova!"

He snickered at him. "You're fighting Jenova somewhere in there, aren't you? Even though she has the upper hand, you still think you can fight and do the right thing." He came close to the president, studying his face carefully. "Take my advice—don't fight her. It's much more glorious to be cooperative."

He ground his teeth together. "I am going to rebuild with my new strength! I will set this world right by any means necessary!"

"Keep talking," Hojo simply replied. "Maybe she'll understand your reasons an give in. Even without her precious Turk."

Reno talked in his sleep. Avera could hear him go on and on about not caring, not wanting to, and needing a day off. An obscenity came twice. He was apparently having a very in-depth conversation with whoever was intruding on his subconscious. She tried to wake him up once when he got really miffed, but he jerked away and rolled over, so she gave up.

After a while, she turned inside the corners of her own mind, searching out the Ancient and Jenova. She was puzzled when she though she found a glimpse of Jenova, and it suddenly vanished. Though she knew it was crazy, she was puzzled and began searching even harder for her. Worried—worried that perhaps Jenova would reach a part of her mind she couldn't control. Then a voice gently flowed into the space where Jenova had been: "It's done. She will bother you no longer."

She paused, turning about in her mind to find the Ancient voice. "What do you mean? Ifalna?"

The voice came again; "She has comfortable places, easier conquests. We have won control of your mind and blood."

Shivers went down Avera's spine. "Meaning what?"

"You are Cetra; growing continually in power and ability."

She couldn't contain her anger. "Why? What if I don't want to be a…a…Cetra; Ancient, whatever? What then?"

The voice remained calm and gentle. "You would rather be Jenova's child?"

"No! I just—how can I trust you? I just want to be me; not Cetra, not Ancient—just--" She spun to a presence that she suddenly felt behind her. "Reno?" She couldn't see him, but she could feel him there.

Ifalna let out a satisfied breath. "You two are the first. Continue our generation."

She caught a surprised image of Reno's face, and then she found herself jerked back to consciousness. She took in the room first, and then her eyes fell to Reno, who was now wide awake and staring at her calmly. "What just happened?" she asked.

"Er….I woke up."

"Before that."

"I was asleep."

She wasn't happy. "Reno!" She snapped.

He smiled at her like a kid. "Your eyes are green."

"What!" She sat up from her chair, snatching a mirror off the nightstand. It was true. Her eyes were back to normal. They were a pale shade of emerald green, large and familiar. "They did--" She gasped. "They did, didn't they?"

Reno rolled to his shoulder and sat up slowly, never taking his eyes off of her. They glowed with some crazed hunger she didn't quite recognize before. "Did you hear what I heard?"

Their eyes met. She felt it then—what Rufus had been talking about. She felt flushed, feverish. Tingling started in her lips and fingertips, and then rushed through her body. Reno looked so perfect, so….She tried to tear her eyes away, but couldn't do it. He was just too wonderful to look at. The burn! The burn was starting! Implanted desire by the Cetra, perhaps? Was Reno feeling it, too? She didn't have to wait any time for the answer. Reno grabbed her face in both hands and brought it to his aggressively. His hands were warm on her already flushed face. She could feel Rufus screaming in her mind as they enjoyed feverish kissing. He was yelling to stop. In reality, she could care less what Rufus wanted. In fact she wanted to do anything in direct opposition to him. However, she realized that even though she and Reno were enjoying it, the burn was caused mostly by the Cetra, who had some plan for re-cultivating the species. So with ever fiber of her being, she told herself to stop. She could control herself. The problem was Reno. "Reno, stop…Reno….Reno, STOP!" She pulled back hard.

He wiped his chin, staring at her in a wild-eyed manner. "What's the problem?"

"The Cetra…." She gasped, forcing her eyes to the floor. "The Cetra are doing this to us!"

He grinned. "I always did like the Cetra." He dove for her again and managed to get in a few more kisses before she pulled away.

She stood away from him and literally ran to the door. "Hold on a second!" She opened the door. "Denzel, come here!"

"What!" He griped. "I can't in front of him!"

"Exactly!"

"But!"

Denzel walked in, confused. "What's the matter? You look sick." He had a soda in one hand and a cookie in the other.

She rolled her eyes. Thank God the Cetra didn't let him join in these little moments, too. "I'm not sick, but don't leave until I tell you to…." She paused, "and maybe not then."

Reno was not happy at all. "Come on, Avera," he practically whined. "You can't tell me this is all Cetra business. We've been dating three years. We kind of want to, huh?"

"Want to what?" Denzel asked.

He sighed miserably. He wanted to cry. "Kid, let everything we say float between your ears with no impact in the middle, okay?"

She sat in the corner of the room on the floor. She was afraid of what would happen if she sat anywhere close to him. "Stop screwing with us!" She screamed into her mind. "Just leave us alone!" She shook her head. "Reno, I'm worried about the Cetra's intentions."

"So they intend us to have babies. Great fun, if you think about it, and besides, we'll just be getting a jump on the future, huh?"

She raised an eyebrow, keeping temptation to listen to his reasoning down. A voice came in her mind. Sorry, Avera. You're right. You should be alone. She almost fell over when the desire left her. She was suddenly weak and trembling, and she could tell that Reno felt the same way. "First of all, great fun for you, maybe. I'm the one that would be puking and moody for months at a time. Secondly, you don't even like kids."

"That's not true!" He protested. "I love kids!"

"No, you don't!" Denzel replied.

"Sure I do, kid, bite me. And shut up, or I'll whack your snotty little nose off."

Avera doubled over, laughing hysterically. She just started and couldn't stop. That was the funniest exchange she had ever heard in her life. "So funny!" She called to him, laying on the floor. Her shoulders shook. The burn was gone, and that made her laugh even harder. It was just she and Reno now, no Cetra entanglements of any kind. Apparently they realized she wasn't going to cooperate for their sake.

Reno was laughing, but he was going harder than she was. It was like it was the funniest thing in the world. "You can go now, kid," he called to Denzel, wiping tears off his face.

He looked at Avera questioningly.

"It's fine, Denzel," she agreed. "Go ahead."

It wasn't two seconds before Denzel was gone when Reno locked him out. He then stood over Avera, who was still giggling to herself. "Avera? You remember back when you were working in the Gongaga lab, when I was first appointed a Turk? You know, before it blew?"

She stopped giggling and looked up at him. "Yes."

"We were practically kids back then, but…." He frowned, picking at the scar on his scalp. "I should have gone to see you after we talked the first time. I thought you were extremely hot, anyway…." He ignored her second round of the giggles, "and you were so smart. But I was a jerk. I was worried about my promotion; what other people would think of me."

"Reno…"

"Hear me out. That thing could have blown while you were in it, and I never would have seen you again. And I wouldn't have had the chance to get myself into awkward situations like we had. And maybe I'd still view myself as a marked murderer."

She sat up as he sat down. She scooted up to him, face close to his, holding both hands in his lap. "Why are you telling me this?"

He forced a smile for a brief instant, and then faded. "I was a murderer back then. I thought I was doing something great and wonderful. I figured I was used to it, so what would be the harm in doing it for a living? I was too stuck up to accept that I wasn't a hero. I viewed everyone as beneath me, as idiots who would give their eyeteeth to be like me. Thought women went weak at their knees at the mention of my name. I was…a criminal; and I didn't even want to see it." His gaze met hers for a second and then looked away. "And then I met you, and you pulled all that out and made me feel like I could be something better than a Turk. That never occurred to me before. And I almost never got the chance. Even then, I …still want to be a Turk. So I guess I understand why….why you don't want me."

She couldn't help it. Her eyes misted over in near-horror as she stared at him. "Is that what you think? That I stopped because of…?"

"Face it, Avera. It's who I am."

"That's not true!" She bit out angrily.

He went to stand up. "Maybe you'd be better off without me, huh? Without the great Turk Reno."

Quick as lightning, she got to her knees and grabbed his wrists, forcing him to hold his spot. "You will do no such thing! I'm not a child! Stop treating me like one! You think you know how I feel about you? If that's how you think I feel than you're right—you know absolutely nothing! Now shut up and listen. I've spent three years of my life getting to know you: Your work, your ideals, your sense of humor, everything. I know of some of the people you killed and I know you want to kill my dad so bad your insides are screaming." His eyes met hers lifelessly. His chest heaved as he fought for dignity enough to hold that gaze. She held her grip tight on his wrists, in case he might run. He didn't even feel like he could fight her strength even if he wanted to. "Everything else I need to know about you I learned through Rufus' mind last night and Denzel this morning. I don't know every little detail of your life, yet. But I do know I care about you, Reno. You've been there for me when no one else has. And if that's why you want to kill my drunk crazy father, then….I guess I can forgive that urge. I don't care about all that. I care about you! More…more than anything. You're not a murderer. You were just always afraid."

He was startled at that last statement. His eyes went wide as he looked at her. She had just nailed it. All of his life, he had been afraid. He never told anyone; he hardly knew it himself. But she just nailed it. Didn't that mean she knew him well enough to know what she was getting herself into?

She paused, swallowing hard as her face turned a light pink. "No what in the hell is all this self-pity about?"

He waited for a second, licking his lower lip in thought. Then he came back in all smiles; totally normal and totally Reno. He gave her the usual, drawn-out flippant tone when he replied to her. "Don' know. Maybe it's because I've gone seven days sober."

She relaxed, smiling in return. His eyes flickered and brightened as she sank onto his knee slowly. He extended a hand, resting it on her hip. The other one trailed up her side and onto her neck. "Or maybe you just need a woman to knock some sense into you." She was leaning in closer, and closer….and closer.

"Heh-heh. You offering?"

Their lips met. She took solace in the fact that this time, the Cetra had absolutely nothing to do with it.

Memory:_She was one of the first ones to get sick with geostigma, but she hung on like a champ. She worked at the bar every day and hung out with me every night. She never complained or anything, and I don't think she ever passed out when I wasn't around. But there was this one time I thought she was going to fall in her tracks: We were watching the "Loveless" play again. I could tell she just wasn't up to par, so I offered to take her back to my place for the evening. I figured she'd be cool and comfortable there._

_She was sipping on a wine cooler with her feet up when she landed it on me. We were talking about our pasts and stuff—mostly funny stories—when she asked me why I got my tattoos._

_I shot her a sideways glance. "How did you get that scar?"_

_"I asked you first."_

_"Nope. I've been talking all about myself all night long. It's your turn to dazzle me, Bright Eyes."_

_She smiled wanly. She wasn't feeling well at all. She shifted to where she was rested more comfortably between my arm and side. "Tell you what," she bargained, "I'll tell you where I got my scar if you'll tell me where you got your tattoos."_

_"Deal. You go first."_

_"RENO!"_

_"What?" It wasn't that I didn't want to tell her. I was actually quite fond of my murder marks, at times. But I had been trying for three years to figure out how she got that scar—although I already had a pretty good guess. Her going first ensured that I got to hear the story._

_She sighed. "Fine. I was sixteen, working in the lab—I think that was a few days before I met you. My dad woke me up in the middle of the night by slamming my door open and grabbing me. I was scared, so I just automatically reached up and gave him an upper-cut." She laughed ironically. "You think he would have been mad, but he wasn't. He just told me, 'I knew you had it in you; Show me what else you got'. When I refused, he pulled his knife."_

_I sucked in my breath quickly. Why did I ask to hear this? Why did I torture myself this way? Maybe it was a way of murdering…myself._

_"It didn't hurt all that bad. In fact, at first, I felt wet in my eyes and thought he had spit on me." She shrugged in closer to me, as if she were diving away from the memory. I put my arm around her absent-mindedly as I contemplated her predicament. "He left, and I had to clean up everything. Didn't want to leave the carpet a mess, so I cleaned it up with my left hand and kept my t-shirt on my head. It got so soaked!"_

_"That's enough, Avera."_

_She paused, glancing at me hesitantly. She seemed bitter that I had even asked. But I had asked, and that's why she finished. "I walked over to Yuffie's because she had heal materia. That's when she found out."_

_I didn't even realize I was doing it then, but I ran my finger along that mark; the inch-long scar that ran along the top of her eyebrow. "Avera, I'm sorry. I'm sorry I didn't come to see you before the explosion. We might have been friends sooner, and--"_

_She pulled my hand away, so quick that it almost hurt inside of me. I felt like she hated me for dragging that memory up. But I knew Avera and I knew she couldn't hate anyone—not even her bastard of a father. "Don't say that Reno" she whispered. "Everything happens for a reason. You were there when I needed you most, right?"_

_I felt hot inside—so uncomfortable dry and tired. Sure, I was there. But not when she needed me; not really. If I had known back then, my murder marks would have been noble. I could have made a difference before she got hurt any more. "So," she replied, brightening. "How did you get your tattoos?" Her cool fingers touched the dark flesh under my left eye._

_I blinked, confused. "What?" Before now, I was planning on giving her a big story about how I valiantly won them. Now I just felt sick, and didn't really want to waste time. "I was a pride fighter when I was fifteen. It's the only way I could make the money to live back then. I used to fight in the Sector seven slums all the time. A guy named Zedek liked my style and hired me to be his champ. I signed a contract, because it was three times the gil I would have been making elsewhere. The contract said, in part, that "the Little Red Demon" had to be more noticeable. I needed a call signal of some kind, he thought. One day a fighter hit me in the face with a steel pipe. I won the championship that night, but I accidentally killed him." She caught her breath under my arm and put her hand on my knee comfortingly. "No, it was a good thing. He was trying to kill me. Would have succeeded, too, if I hadn't gotten so mad about it. Later that night, I was looking in the mirror where he hit me with that steel pipe, right across the top of my cheekbones. I figured that would be my call sign—it won me the championship, after all. I went and got the tattoos that very night." I sighed hard. "And even now, they are more noticeable than my hair."_

_She opened her mouth slightly, but she didn't know what to say. So I just continued, lost in some little trance of my own. "Shinra found me two days later. He cancelled my debt to Zedek and hired me. Just two days earlier and I wouldn't have gotten them." _

_She smiled forcibly. "You had a hard time earning them, didn't you?"_

_I frowned. I had killed before that night, but always to survive. The champ had made me so angry I wanted to kill him—kill him in cold blood right in front of his wife and twelve-year old son. And so I did. That's when I got my murder marks. And I had been murdering off and on since then, just for a different broker. "I hate them," I choked out, suddenly. I don't know why I said that. Every day I had looked in the mirror, and every day was just a dull-eyed stare at what they were, not what they represented. I never hated them before. Maybe I suddenly realized, in her presence, that they truly marked me as undeserving of the kindest woman alive. Maybe they really did mark me as a murderer. _

_She sat up and turned to me. I took in her eyes; warm, beautiful and now misting over. "Well, I love them," she blurted, touching them with both hands. I felt her wonderfully smooth fingers trace them for a moment. "They're what brought you to me, right?" And then, pale and tired as she was, she leaned in and kissed me full on the mouth._

_For a moment, I felt exuberance pass through me. I felt the warm wetness of her lips on mine and it made me feel alive and happy and quite frankly, burning hot. I felt like the happiest man on earth. And she was right—These horrible marks on my flesh proved I had lived a life hard enough to need saving myself. I closed my eyes and kissed back hard, so happy to have her there with me; my little hero. And then she shuddered and sank away. That was the first and only time she ever passed out from the sickness._

_But for a terrible sinking moment, I thought my murder marks had killed her, too. _

Reno sighed when she pulled back from her repeated kissing for a moment with a smile_. "Murder marks, my eye,"_ he thought to himself as he eagerly went after her again. _"They're the only things that told me I needed her."_

9:34p.m.

Nighttime filled every corner of the room in inky blackness. With the curtains drawn, the lights of the amusement park didn't even interfere. It was plushly comfortable in the fancy bed, and just a bit cool. Reno woke up and smiled to himself pleasantly, hearing the thrum of the overhead ceiling in his ears. For once in his life, he felt content. Sure, he had happy times in his life, but never anything like this. Actually, he had mostly hard times:

Abandoned by his mother when he was three. She just up and left he and his father for some wealthy jerk from M.R.O. management. His dad shot himself when he was ten—right in front of his son that was begging him not to do it. Guess the drugs had worn off and he couldn't take it anymore. Reno hated that boy that begged. Odd jobs; illegal of course, because he was under age. It made him tough enough to live on the streets, half-starving, always afraid. Pride fighting at fifteen. It was the newest thing and people would pay you five hundred gil just for a knockout. He won almost every fight and was known as the "Little Red Demon." That's when Shinra, Sr. noticed him and put him in the army. Hard times and a few battles later, he was promoted to the Turks. At nineteen, he had to guard the president at the Gongaga reactor, and that's when he first saw her.

He remembered most of the time he stood there, bored, his hands in his pockets. Scarlet—he always hated her—was going down the list of new employees for the president. "Flick…"

"Flick?" The president interrupted. "What's his real name?"

She laughed. "We don't know. We call him flick because he lost his left arm in the last reactor. It just flicked right off. He's very dedicated to be working here, too."

"Charming. Next?"

"Nalies, she's in our billing; Doing a great job, if I may say so, sir. And you asked about Avera earlier?"

Reno popped his neck, smiling at a cute brunette across from him. She smiled politely and looked away—clearly not interested in younger men. "Yes," the president had said. "We're very interested in seeing how she's getting along."

"She's right over there." She pointed across the room. There she was—wearing those cute new-issue diagnostic glasses that tucked the bridge of her nose. Her hair (it was longer then) was pulled up and secured with a red ink pen. Her lower lip hung just a bit as she wrote a few calculations , and then turned to her microscope. She had a bruise on her throat and one on her forearm. Her lab coat hung seamlessly around her shoulders. The corner of her eyes raised to the president and she gave a cheerful smile. Reno suddenly wasn't bored, anymore. His hands came out of his pockets as he straightened up quickly. She was only sixteen, and was the head of Scientific Diagnostics. "She's perfect, sir. We couldn't be more pleased."

_**Perfect**_. For days, Reno couldn't stop thinking about her. When he was recalled on a safety inspection, he looked everywhere for her, and did eventually get to speak very briefly to her. At any time after that, he could have just gone see her. He had clearance to get in and out of any department of that reactor. But he refused. What would his new co-workers think? Finally, he just gave up and shrugged it off. He thought of her for weeks after it blew, wondering what happened to the brilliantly smart, young, cute woman there. He thought it was a crying shame, and once, he even had a nightmare about it. But the memories eventually faded when he figured there was no chance of anyone working there surviving, anyway. Little did he know she had called in that day—probably because her father had beaten her nearly to death.

Three years and a few women later, Cloud and his friends beat the crap out of him in Midgar. He pushed the button that brought down the plate—killing fifty-two people. He tried to go to Wutai to drink off the guilt. He was almost asleep and half-drunk when he heard her call him. He didn't want to answer; he was angry to be interrupted. It was his day off and he wanted to drink himself dead. He talked with her then, when his feet fell off the table as he stupidly gaped at her. She was nineteen, definitely not dead, and even more gorgeous than before.

The rest was history. The trip to Costa Del Sol when he noticed her black eye (to match that ravishing bikini); the late nights on the foothills of Mount Nibel—she would talk to him quietly, leaning her head on his shoulder; The trips to the Cosmo Candle while he flirted with her by the fire-light; Months of pain over watching every new bruise, bump, and welt; Yuffie filling him in; Him nearly killing her father; Her weeping voice, "You're not a murderer!"

For the first time in his life, tonight he really did feel that way. He no longer wore murder marks; they were only marks from her kissing him under his eyes so often. Everything was good. Avera loved him more than ever, they had evaded Shinra, her father hadn't touched her in two years, they were safe and happy and comfortable, not to forget the pleasant events of the night, and…. Damn, this bed was nice! He took in a deep, contented breath, reaching over for her side. He got slightly confused when she wasn't there. He figured she'd probably slid over to the edge….it was a huge bed, after all….and so he turned over to find her with a cocky half-grin on. He came face-to-face with the muzzle of a gun.

"Holy sh--!" He jumped up only slightly, up to his elbows.

Tseng smiled calmly at him. "Hello, Reno. I'd ask what you've been up to, but I can already see that."

He could see now that Tseng was holding the gun, and Elena stood back a bit, gun in hand, but refusing to use it. Avera was nowhere to be found. "Wha'd the hell you do to her, you…!"

"Shut up!"

"Where's Rude?"

He hesitated before he spoke. "Can't stand up to a dozen soldiers and two Turks, I don't care who you are."

"Where's Cloud?"

"You just don't get the concept of shutting up, do you?" He asked, rudely blunt. "Don't know. Probably took the band out for a game of bumper cars. He left two hours ago; He'll probably sense his sister's plight in just a bit, so I would prefer you to move it pretty quickly."

Reno was seething in anger.

"Get up. Get dressed."

"Don' think so," he retorted, patting the mattress with his hand. "I'm comfortable right here." Maybe he could buy some time before Cloud got here.

"She's right outside, Reno," Elena added, ignoring Tseng's threatening glare. Apparently she wasn't so convinced that they were doing the right thing. That surprised Reno, because after how badly he treated her, he thought she would be the one wanting to do the shooting. Maybe he had read her wrong.

"Right here in front of Elena?" Reno asked Tseng.

"Either get your pants on in front of her or get shot in the teeth."

"Right." In a few moments, he was dressed and waiting. Tseng shoved the muzzle in his back, walking him forward. The light from the kitchen blinded him for a moment. The first thing he saw was Rude, hands tied, in a chair in the corner. Rude flashed him an apologetic look as his eyes traveled to Avera, out cold on the linoleum. Reno dove for her, but Tseng grabbed him back. "What did you do to her!" He yelled. She was in a white robe (compliments of the inn), which hung open slightly at the leg. Her hair scattered about on the floor. There was no indication of breathing.

"We shot her,"

Reno rounded on him, ignoring the gun. Tseng landed a punch in the gut and slashed upwards with his gun, catching him in the nose. He tumbled back, hitting his head on Rude's chair leg. "Let me finish, hothead," Tseng continued. "We shot her with a tranquilizer. We can't let Hojo's precious specimen bite the dust. We're under strict orders."

Reno grunted, rolling to his shoulder to look at her. His eyes went remorseful. Ever since the night he attacked her father, he had pledged himself as her savior. He was going to protect her with everything he had, up to death. It was all because she had saved him from his murderous past. But he couldn't even care for her correctly. He had failed. "Get up." He did as he was told. Tseng nodded at the two Soldiers who were standing next to a nurse in the corner. "Get her on the airship. Get her changed and give her to Hojo."

They nodded.

"Don't do this, boss," Reno pleaded. "Just—listen to me for a minute--" He spoke quickly. His girl was being thrown over the shoulder of the largest Soldier; quite roughly, in fact.

Tseng kept his gun level. "You lost all privileges of communication when you went AWOL against the president."

His blue eyes went wide as the two Soldiers and nurse shoved past him for the door. He secretly wished Cloud was outside and would stop them. No such luck. "I have a perfectly good reason, Tseng. And…and you don't have to believe me! Believe Rude! He'll tell you, won't you Rude?"

Tseng glanced at Rude. "Insubordination is insubordination."

"You…._**damned**_ idiot!" Reno yelled. "It's not just about her! Look—Elena!" He looked past Tseng to the blonde-headed girl behind him. "Please. I can sense you sometimes. You're turning Cetra, aren't you?"

Elena caught Tseng's eye uneasily. She paused for a few moments, going blanche-white with fear. Then she nodded miserably. "It's true."

The boss was at a loss for words.

"Tell him, Elena. Please! El…." Reno bowed his head in defeat as the female looked away from him, clamming up completely. She was absolutely refusing to compromise her knowledge of the events. Reno should have known better. She always did follow every little step Tseng took.

Tseng turned to Reno. "Okay," he finally said. "My orders are to kill you and send your girlfriend to Hojo….to get compromised by our leader." Reno's eyes glanced up at him, then dropped quickly. It startled Tseng to realize there were tears brimming up in them. Reno never cried—Reno wasn't that sort of guy. Period. Apparently the idea of his girlfriend being dominated by the president for the rest of her life was too much for him to bear. He paused, licking his lower lip. If it were Elena… "So you've got exactly sixty seconds to change my mind."

Reno's eyes flashed up again, hope and surprise gleaming in them. What was left of the mist in his eyes vanished to the corners. A smile twitched the corner of his mouth.

"Better start talking."

DAY EIGHT

_**I had viewed myself as her protector for a long time. And when I wasn't being my usual sarcastic self, I was usually fiercely angry about something that happened with her. One time I remember I got upset because a delivery to the bar didn't have the olives she requested. She laughed at me, but I didn't care. Any mistreatment was wrong, wrong, wrong. And I lost my temper easily, anyway, much less if she was involved. But I had no idea I could feel as angry as I did that day. **_

_------_

Rufus Shinra grinned with delight at the sight of her: his crown queen, his royal beauty. The Turks had been trained well. "Put her there," he ordered the soldier carrying her. He complied, setting her on the president's own couch. Her head lolled to the side lifelessly. Rufus touched her face, taking in a breath. "She's so very beautiful." The sun was barely coming up, showering tinges of light into the room. They were in Healin, in the lowest room of the building. They had changed her into the same white jumpsuit that she had worn when Reno had rescued her the first time. Wires ran up and down the sleeves; a manner of control in case she got out of hand.

Right about the time he was running his fingers down her throat in admiration, Reno and the other Turks walked in. "Get your sleezy hands off her!" Reno yelled, advancing. Tseng and Rude grabbed his arms and jerked him back. He struggled for a few minutes as Hojo entered, running a program on his notepad.

"Amazing," Rufus continued, ignoring him. His fingers slid down her shoulder, her left arm, her hip… "She is indeed the perfect specimen."

Reno's feet peddled the floor, trying to get his hands on the president's throat. Rude and Tseng fought to hold him back, casting each other worried glances. The agreement they had made was to hear the whole plan Hojo had concocted before trying to rescue her. However, they hadn't expected that she would be in such danger so soon, or that Reno's temper would be so uncontrollable. "Are you listening to me? She's not yours!"

His eyes snapped to Reno, and everyone froze at the blood-red color of the irises. "Not mine!" He shouted angrily. "She's Jenova's child! She's Hojo's experiment! She's my genetic counterpart! She is anything but YOURS!" He stood, laughing through his anger. The Turks stared at him in fascination. They were aware that their president was truly going insane. "Jenova says she's mine. Destiny smiles on our children. You'll not interfere; you FOOL!" He spat the last word, only inches from Reno's face.

He growled at him in reply.

Hojo laughed in the corner. "We'll have to put her through a cleansing process to rid her of Reno's DNA. Other that that, she's perfect. I see no further obstacles."

Elena and Tseng looked at each other. "What?"

Hojo smiled at Reno. "That's right. In just a few weeks you would have been confirmed a proud father-to-be. Unfortunately, I can't let that happen." Reno's knees wobbled and almost fell out from under him. He felt faint. _**Well, that was quick**._ He made little grunting noises, not knowing exactly what to say. Elena was gasping for air. Tseng and Rude's grip lessened on his arms. Rude's mouth hung open about six inches.

"That must have been why she went down so fast with the dart," Tseng wondered.

Elena glared at him. "Tseng, a woman doesn't feel the effects THAT fast!"

"Not normally, no," Hojo said, off-handedly. "But in this case, yes. Jenova cells would normally fortify her to fight the effects. But her Cetra genetics built a barrier to protect the clustering cells. They want to ensure that the offspring is protected. All her reserve power drained her of the ability to fight."

"Yeah, she dropped like a sack of potatoes," Tseng said in wonder. Reno stared over his shoulder at him in disbelief. "Sorry."

"Don't apologize to the traitor," Rufus bit out. "She was never his to care for in the first place."

Reno strangled out a bark and lunged for him again. Tseng and Rude stumbled a bit, holding him at bay.

Hojo giggled insanely in the corner. "Oh, but he's right, Reno. She was my plan from the very beginning. Your meeting her was just an unfortunate accident. Seventeen years ago, a five-year-old orphan stumbled across me. I was still working on a rebound Sephiroth experiment. She seemed the perfect specimen. Within two weeks, her memory was wiped and she was constructed by the same process that constructed Cloud. I had to ensure that she stayed alive to see the results through completion, so I convinced the president to hire a Shinra mercenary to take care of her. He was to raise her tough, to test the limits of her physical endurance. A little more, and she may have been a ruthless fighter. But you interfered! You nearly killed that mercenary. Shinra compensated him for his trouble, paid him to stay there so it wouldn't look suspicious, but he refused to do any more testing. Her warrior spirit was already compromised within her—by YOU! You, her knight in shining armor. With you there, why should she fight for herself? But, that's irrelevant. Fortunately, we at least got a chance to monitor the build up of her Jenova abilities. We knew it was safe then to proceed with the Cetra experiment."

"You monster!" Reno spat. "You frickin' monster!"

Avera moaned, moving a bit. She was waking up. Rufus turned to her in concern. "Is she damaged?"

Hojo ran a remote-controlled ultrasound over the length of her body with little discernable concern. Then he smiled, wickedly glaring at Reno. "She took a tumble; possibly tearing through the cell structure. If she lives through it, we might be fortunate enough to not have to run an expensive cleansing process, after all."

That was it. Reno went blind with rage. He roared and broke free, lunging at Hojo. He managed to make it past a startled Rufus Shinra very easily. He pulled three good punches before Hojo pulled a gun. Reno stared angrily, feeling the cool iron on his cheek. What was up with people shoving a gun up his face, lately? Tseng suddenly had him by the shoulders. "Get off'a me! He shouted, pushing him away.

He tilted and then came back, grounding him whether he liked it or not.

"You're wrong, Reno," the president said, a little sadly. "We're not monsters. At least I'm not. This whole thing was Hojo's plan from the beginning. He is a scientist by nature and wanted to see his curiosity fulfilled." He shook his head. "But he got the support of my father because he knew such power should not go to waste. He got my support for the same reason. The whole reason I'm doing this is for the planet!"

Reno snarled at him. "You're a butt-eyed liar, yo!"

"Am I? I told you a year ago all I wanted was to rebuild our world. I meant it. With this power—this unfathomable power—Avera and I could create sons who have the thinking ability and physical might to gather entire legions of soldiers. At their command, we could rebuild the world dozens of times over. Plus, as far as we can speculate, the gene would be in a perfect balance; half-Jenova, half-Cetra."

Avera turned her head to the other side, moving a bit. She let out a gasp suddenly and put her hand to her stomach. "Reno…." She called weakly. Rufus nodded at Tseng, who let him go.

Reno gave him a warning glare before sinking to his knees beside her. He put a hand to her hair, smoothing it out of her face. "I don't care how much money and time you invested in her," He said quietly. "And I don't care how much you think the world needs her. You don't have the right."

Hojo was busily scanning. "Amazing. The build up of the power is still protecting the zygote."

"So why is she in pain?" Tseng asked.

"Well, it's not exactly natural. She would naturally have some pain at the site. It's like blowing you up with air or fluid before you have a major operation. So far as I can tell, it's not anything life-threatening, yet."

"Sir," Elena implored, "What if the genes aren't perfectly balanced? What if the Jenova cells would dominate?"

He laughed heartily. "Then I guess the stronger race won."

Everyone shot him a look of disbelief as Hojo tapped his lip. "The power is extremely difficult to penetrate. I could remove it, but it will inevitably cause the specimen intense and devastating pain."

"Will she die?" Rufus asked.

"If she does, I can revive her."

"Can she continue to bear offspring?"

He thought for a moment. "I'm not sure. Possibly."

"Should we take that chance?"

"It's better than letting her have the one she's got. We'll do it." He nodded and motioned to the two soldiers. "Take her to my helicopter. We'll bring her to the lab for processing."

Reno's head jerked up from her and he leapt to his feet. Tseng dove forward, trying to hold him down again. "This wasn't the plan!" He screamed, hoarsely.

"Reno?" Avera called in confusion as she woke up completely. The soldier picked her up, and she began kicking. "What's going on? RENO!"

He twisted hard right, falling to his knees and slinging Tseng off. He got about three steps in before Rude jumped, grabbing him around the legs. He fell flat to his face, but kept on kicking. Rude held on defiantly. "I'll kill you!" Reno screamed hysterically at the scientist, who was walking out the door. "I'll kill you! I'll haunt you from the god-damned grave, you lousy piece of Jenova slime! I'll beat your frickin' brains out!"

He just laughed, paying no attention. Reno's face turned blood red as he left, and began throwing what looked like a child's temper tantrum, just screaming his head off. "Now?" Rude called helplessly to Tseng. He was being horribly battered.

Tseng nodded. "Now!"

They let him go. He scrambled to his feet and started for the door, but Rufus had already figured out their little plan. Calmly, he pulled his own revolver and shot Reno in the right shoulder. Reno spun with the force of the bullet, giving the room an astonished look as he fell to his back. Elena shrieked. "Go!" Tseng cried. Rude and Elena split, diving out separate doors, leaving only Reno, Rufus, and Tseng behind.

Cloud put a foot in the dirt to steady his motorcycle, pulling out his binoculars. A few hours ago, while the kids were on the game machines and he was buying Tifa a soda, he had felt panic run through his veins and then die as swiftly as it had started. It was undeniable that Avera was in trouble. Denzel had run up to him, saying about as much, and they immediately had taken off for the inn. But when they got there, they were already gone. As they stood there determining what to do next, they had gotten a phone call. "Well, Tseng wasn't lying when he called us. Not about this, anyway."

"They're there?" Yuffie called from beside him. "Can I see?"

He smirked at her. "You're not gonna see Rude through the building, Yuffie."

She crossed her arms sullenly. "How do you know? There may be a window or a door or crack or something." She looked away from them in harrowed frustration.

He glanced at Tifa. "We have to work up a plan, here," he began. Then they heard Reno screaming wildly in the distance. He turned to look through the binoculars again. "They're splitting up." He grimaced. This wasn't what he had planned on. "Hojo's leaving. Rufus must still be inside. Tifa, you and Yuffie go after Hojo. Vincent, you're with me." Right about that time they heard a gunshot. He gunned the engine and they parted.

The president picked a piece of lint from his jacket before backing out of the door. He smirked at them for a moment. It was clear that Hojo had driven the president into insanity. He was acting nothing like himself. "So sorry. You were good Turks. But now I have to kill you." He raised his gun to fire, but a shadow fell over him, accompanied by the low rumble of an approaching vehicle. He turned just in time to see Cloud's motorcycle screech to a side-ways halt. His buster sword was held high and he was about to use it. He turned aggressively, shooting as quickly as possible. Cloud veered right and smiled as the bullets pinged off of his sword.

"You made a big miscalculation, boss," Reno said from behind him.

Rufus smirked again, brushing the hair out of his face. "What? I forgot about Cloud?"

Reno smiled pleasantly. "Nope. You shot me in the wrong damn arm!" With that, his left hand shot out, raking the electro-rod across his face. Rufus stumbled back, touching his nose as he ducked a sweep of Reno's right foot. He spun, back-tracking from Reno's attack, and was greeted by Tseng's weapon. "I'm sorry, sir," Tseng said quickly, before striking as well. By this time, Reno had charged again, out for blood. His left knuckle, wrapped around the rod, hit Rufus square in the jaw; then he got another from his right foot. He swayed and fell, just in time to see Vincent Valentine drop down from the sky.

But it was too late. Jenova had claimed him for her own.

Avera twisted and turned, fighting with everything she had. When she saw her opening, she took it. Hojo came along the side of the soldier. Aiming right, she kicked him square in the face. He jolted and fell back, his glasses flying from his crooked nose. The soldier was startled, and didn't realize Avera was rolling off of his shoulder before it was too late. She hit the dirt and took off running for the building she had just come from. She had heard gunfire and was frightened for Reno's safety. She turned just for a moment to see if they were following her. However, she hit something hard. She fell to her back in the dirt, and was surprised to see Rude standing over her. "My apologies," he offered, extending a hand.

"Look out!" Elena cried, shoving them out of the way. All three of them hit the dirt again as gunfire rang overhead. The soldiers were shooting at them.

They could hear Hojo yelling at them, "No, no! Just the Turks! Not my experiment! I need her!"

Avera glanced over her shoulder at Elena and Rude as the soldiers re-loaded, ready for battle. "Shall we?" She smiled at them mischievously.

"You first," Rude replied, examining a scratch on his sunglasses.

She giggled. Then standing, she began walking to Hojo. She knew they wouldn't shoot her. She was far too valuable. She was satisfied to see Hojo's nose was bleeding from his contact with her lab shoes. "Alright, Hojo."

"Is the specimen planning on fighting?" He smirked at her. "You're nothing without your guard dog."

She grinned darkly at him, clenching her fists. "My name," she said very slowly and deliberately, "Is Avera. Remember it!" And then she flew towards him with all the fury she had ever felt packed into her five foot seven body.

As she rushed him, Tifa and Yuffie arrived on their motorcycles. Yuffie let hers fly from under her as she back-flipped to land next to Rude. "Hi ya, big boy!" She winked and pulled her weapon. Tifa was more civilized, circling Elena once before parking and casually stepping off. "You're not going to let her do this alone, are you?" She asked.

Elena motioned with her arm. "Be my guest."

Hojo laughed just before Avera reached him, exploding into a mass of color and light.

"Great," Cloud muttered, watching Rufus fly overhead for a safe distance. "This is going to be loads of fun."

"I will have fun, thanks!" Reno called, running to catch up with the president.

Cloud gave Tseng an irritated, questioning look. "It's Reno," Tseng shrugged. "I can't help that he makes stupid decisions. It's a bad habit of his."

"Reno!" Cloud shouted irritably. "Get back here!" He knew that the ex-Turk couldn't possibly take on Rufus after Jenova took hold. And though Rufus looked fairly natural, he was literally flying through the air—not a comforting signal at all.

However, he was ignored as Reno scaled the hilltop closest to them in record time and jumped. Their mouths fell open as he actually managed to make contact, tackling him to the ground. Cloud and Vincent exchanged surprised glances and then rushed over to help.

The president was not to be outdone. With a chilling laugh, he threw his arms out to the side. It sent Reno and his shock-rod flying in two different directions. He hit with a hard thud, feeling himself lose consciousness for a moment. He shook his head, refusing to give up. The president advanced on him slowly. Behind him, Cloud and the others were running to catch up.

"Reno," The president said, his eyes clearing to their natural green for a second. "She's trying to kill you. Do what needs to be…" And then they flashed back to red. Reno, startled, stared for a moment, until he realized his fist was barreling down for his head. He rolled and kicked, sending the president to a roll down the rest of the hill.

Yuffie's mouth fell open. "What was that?" She asked, staring at Hojo's reincarnation. It was two monsters in one—half of him was blue and rather powerful looking: muscles everywhere; His face was grotesquely twisted—it looked like tree roots were wrapping themselves around and merging into his flesh. The other side was no prettier on the beauty scale, but it was thinner, and glowing an iridescent greenish/yellow. "No way!"

"Jenova," Rude said from beside her.

"That's what we get for letting Cloud try to kill him," Yuffie muttered. "Can't even get that right."

They heard Avera let out a yell as she jumped from the huge monster's groping hands. They knew it was time to get to work when she was bowled over by the one. Elena went first, working in unison with Rude. She gave a quick rush and jumped, slashing into the muscular portion of his face with a strict uppercut. Rude followed her in, aiming with a power-drive downward into his abdomen.

Yuffie pulled her newly-modified shuriken at the ready, but Tifa grabbed her shoulder. "We're all hand to hand fighters, except you," Tifa said. "We'll depend on you to get at his head. And I trust you have enough materia to handle the other side?"

She flashed a toothy smile. "You got it!" With a crazy, typical, loud Samurai yell, she threw her weapon and charged her materia. Tifa gauged her distance and went for his feet. Meanwhile, she was vaguely aware that Avera was pulling moves she had only seen on Cloud and Sephiroth.

Reno shouted over his shoulder to Cloud as he watched the president roll down the hill. "Go help Avera, hero!"

Cloud stopped, clenching his teeth at the bad situation. He didn't know if the three ex-Turks could handle this. Then again, Rufus was logically the weaker of the two Jenova vessels. "But I…."

"This is a Turk problem!" Reno shouted. "If you let my girl die you'll be next!"

He didn't doubt it. Reno was proving a remarkably able fighter. He might not win the fight between them, but he would certainly hurt him pretty bad before he went down. And he knew what Reno wanted more than anyone else did. Once, he had to fight his darkest enemy. And though there were his closest friends about to help, he wasn't satisfied until he landed the final blow. Rufus may not have been Reno's darkest enemy, but there was something inside of Reno that needed to handle the situation himself. He had been a loyal Turk once. Avera had changed that. Perhaps Reno just needed to figure that out for himself. So Cloud nodded, and spun on his heel to go help the others with Hojo.

The redhead knew it would take Vincent and Tseng a while to scale the hill, so he followed the president down on the other side. Rufus lay there in a broken heap, gazing up at him. It was a chilling sight to see his green eyes streaked with red. His abdomen was bleeding nearly-black blood. Reno followed the streak on the ground with his eyes, finding his undoing. A large pointed rock had a spill of the president's blood smeared on the top.

"Sir?"

Rufus' mouth split into an ironic grin. "You still call me sir?"

"I wasn't talking to _**her**_, was I?"

His eyes flashed totally to red, and then faded back to the red and green streaks. "She is very powerful. I was unwise to…." He gasped a shuddering breath, closing his broken left hand over his stomach. "….misjudge her power."

"We'll just take you back and get Hojo to reverse this. And you can put me back on the payroll." Reno flashed him a typical smart grin.

Rufus shook his head, his eyes glazing over to the full green. "No, I don't think I can. Jenova's….power is irrefutable. I don't have….the luxury….of being strong….like the specim…." He paused, closing his eyes. "….like Avera."

"Come on, boss. I know you think I hated you, but I really hated that thing inside you."

"It's my fault….I wanted power. I got it….in the worst way possible." Rufus' pupils dilated freakishly, and the edges began to tint red again. "Now end it….quickly….before she….ends it for you…."

"Boss, I…" The red was seeping deeper and deeper towards the black center.

"No mercy….Reno….you were always….the best….Should have….made you….Turk One….huh?" He laughed, and then the whole eye was engulfed in red light. Reno fell back wards as Rufus floated to his feet, shoving him back with a gush of aero from Jenova's ultimate power.

Avera stumbled back, but righted herself with a smile. She was at the top of her game, and she knew it. She didn't know what was causing her to feel so much power, unless it was the Cetra themselves. In any case, she must have had some of Jenova's genetic abilities still on the fringes of whatever was fueling her. She had never moved so quickly or smoothly as she did now. And it only got better when Cloud joined the battle. The rest stood back as Cloud and Avera worked side-by-side. Cloud was a much better fighter, though. He probably would have made better progress if he were by himself. Still, he knew this battle was more hers than his, so he was happy just to assist.

At one point, he had knocked Avera back so hard her ears rang. As he advanced, she sought desperately for a weapon she could use besides her fist. Just as she thought all hope was lost, Reno's lost shock-rod fell from the sky right in front of her. She gave it a brief giggle and grabbed it, swinging with both hands.

Together, the experiments worked to destroy their creator. And when they were sure they did, he unleashed his most lethal attack yet just for revenge of his imminent death. He self-destructed into an explosion of white cosmic energy that looked remarkably like a pulsar. Cloud had somehow anticipated this, and managed to avoid it, for the most part, by hurling himself into the air. But from his position, he noticed to his utter horror that the other five were caught in it. He caught a brief glimpse of Rude diving for Yuffie, and Tifa ducking for cover with Elena. Avera, though, was his only target, and he hit his mark. She had been the victim of his revenge. Apparently he cared nothing for his experiment any more. If he was going to die, he was going to take her with him as punishment. And she did indeed receive nauseating, horrible punishment. She flew for about fifty feet before hitting the side of the rocks lining the waterfall face-first. For a split second, she seemed to be flat against the rock, hanging by her stomach and palms at a strange ninety-degree angle. But gravity caught up with her, and her body dropped for the river below her; trailing drops of blood from her forehead. The splash seemed to be the most horrible thing Cloud had witnessed.

Reno backed off as he stared up at the president in a mix between regret and awe. His clothes whipped in the wind, stinging his eyes and his skin. "Don't make me," Reno told him, though he already knew he was unreachable. Vincent caught up about that time. Before telling him anything, Reno lunged for him and grabbed his gun from his belt. Aiming with his usual deadly accuracy, he shot right for the president's forehead.

A few moments later, it was all over. Rufus gave him a startled look even through death, and plunged down the waterfall to the river below. Reno dropped the gun in distaste, choking on something in his mouth. _**My last murder, Avera. I promise.**_ His left fingers rose to the tattoo under his eye with a numb feeling. Strange. As much as he wanted to regard the incident as the fault of the mark that made him the demon, he didn't feel that way at all. He had simply done what was needed; he fulfilled the president's last request. He was nothing but a good Turk. A good Turk with a tattoo.

As he was getting himself together to join the battle with Hojo that was going slightly beneath him, the earth trembled and his eyes took in the white light that exploded by the waterfall. He shielded his eyes and came to in a panic. It took a few moments for his pupils to go back to normal. When they did, his first sight was Rufus' body floating blissfully by the new one in the water. Reno's lip trembled and he skid forward, half-rolling, half-running to it.

He slid to a clumsy halt, getting on his hands and knees beside her. "Avera? Baby, you okay?" He rolled her over, noting the wet smear of bright red blood on her hairline. There was an agonizing silence before she moved her shoulders slightly….and laughed. He wilted in relief, falling to his back and letting his head drop on her ribs. "Aw, Jeez. You had me scared sober."

"I'm good at that," she coughed up water, smiling through throbbing teeth.

"Too good." They lay there for a moment. Reno's ponytail floated in the water alongside her. Blood from his shoulder and from her forehead colored the water just around them a faint orange. If the others didn't know better, they would have thought they were both dead.

Meanwhile, Rude helped Yuffie up with could best be described as a smile, although it was hard to tell on Rude. "You're not hurt, are you?"

She giggled nervously. "Nope. You saved me, big boy. But you can carry me, if you want to."

Tifa got to her feet and ran to Cloud, throwing both arms around him. "Oh, Cloud!" She breathed, burying her nose into his shirt. He held her close, hands smoothing her slick black hair.

"Ah," Reno called merrily. "Love is in the air!" His eyebrows knitted together as he frowned in afterthought. "But I'm still pissed off."

"Why?" Avera croaked, still choking on water.

His head went up and down with her semi-labored breathing. "Lost my god-damned shock rod! That thing was nice! It fit into my hand perfectly!" He held up a palm over his head as if showing her. Water dripped onto the bridge of her nose from his fingers. "And the paint on the power button was rubbing off from loving wear and t--" He paused, squinting into the sky at what Avera was holding over his head. "Is that?"

"Yep."

He reached for it fondly, and then gave it a few expert tosses for old times sake. It made a whistling sound as it cut through the air. He chuckled. "Ooh, what a woman. You found my stick!" He rolled over, looking straight down. His eyes held a devilish gleam that she recognized all too well. His eyelashes were slick with water. His bangs stuck to his face and goggles. She giggled as he leaned down to kiss her.

Rude's eyebrows shot up on his head. "This is disgusting."

Yuffie eyed him, elbowing him in the ribs. "Aw, come on. It's not that bad." When he looked at her, she winked, leaning into his arm. Rude cleared his throat and looked away, turning slightly pink.

Tseng smiled at Elena. "You alright? No broken bones? No bruises? No missing reports to file?" He put a finger through a hole in her jacket, just at the top of her collar. She flinched, smiling at him, and nestled herself under his arm. For a moment he froze, engrained subtlety running through him. And then, he realized the president was dead and the Shinra soldiers wouldn't care, anyway. He put the arm snuggly around her, watching everyone else.

Vincent chuckled under his breath a few minutes later. "They haven't let up, yet," he said. He pointed to Reno and Avera, who were still kissing in the water. He was getting quite into it, in fact, though Avera was too sore to move much. "Ah, to be young."

"I know how he feels," Cloud replied quietly, a smile tugging at the side of his mouth. Tifa shot him a surprised look.

They finally stopped a few moments later. Reno looked at her sideways, cocking his head. "I think I'm going to re-name this place in our honor, babe." He cut her a flirtatious grin until he realized she wasn't smiling back. Her eyebrows were knitted and she was looking past him, into the sky. Wet strands of hair scattered on her pale skin. "Are you really okay?"

Her eyes cleared and she looked at him. "Sure. Why?"

"No pain anywhere?"

"When did you get so serious?" She asked, sitting up. He caught her wince a bit despite her attempt to hide it. The water made her hair look darker. Now it looked just about the same color as her brother's. "I'm fine!" Her words came out strained.

He stood with her uneasily. "You took a hard hit, that's all." He didn't realize it, but his left hand was resting protectively over her middle, his thumb and forefinger making a "v" just below her navel.

"Reno," she tugged his wet ponytail playfully. "I'm absolutely…ow…" Her smile dropped off her face like gravity and she doubled over. Reno caught her with his left arm. She forced a smile again. "Oh, come on. Wipe that look off your face. It's just a little light bruising. It's nothing compared to what my dad…." Reno shot her a pained look. "Never mind."

He turned to Rude. "Hey, buddy. Hojo got that scanner thingy on him?"

Yuffie looked like she was about to choke on her own breath. "No, actually, I do." She looked at them uneasily. "You know….hee, hee….I thought it looked….

uh….pretty valuable. You could buy a lot of materia with that….you know?" No one said anything, so she handed it to Reno quickly. "Uh….here."

Rude's lip twitched. "Impressive."

Yuffie blushed.

During this exchange, Avera had been resting her head on Reno's chest, sweating a bit, pale, but complaining the whole time that she was not to be fussed over. He pressed a few buttons on the scanner, ran it over her quickly, and squinted. "I hope I know how to read this, but…" he held it up to the sun and then back down, as if that would really help. "Ah, forget it. Let's bring her to the Shinra clinic." He smiled at her. "I'd carry you, but I got shot in the arm. Sorry."

"You mean you can't carry me with just a little scratch? I guess I'll just have to find another man and…" She mumbled something into him and sank a bit. Reno held her up with his left arm helplessly until Cloud got there. He picked her up gently. For once, she didn't protest, simply curling her hand around the back of his neck.

"Maybe we should take the airship," Cloud suggested.

Reno's face went green in worry. He thought he knew what those bars meant on the scanner. He was either going to lose his kid or his girl. Or both. He pressed a palm to his wet, bloody shoulder. "Yeah. Hurry, ok, Cloud?"


	5. Chapter 5

CONCLUSION

DAY 455

_**There was absolutely nothing I could do. Nothing I could fight. I would have done anything, and yet there was nothing to be done. I stayed by her bedside the whole time. I remember looking up to my reflection on the wall across from the bed with a grimace. Reno the Turk? Reno the warrior? Reno the hero? Or was it Reno the Lover? None of those things seemed to apply to me. Not now, anyway. All I was—all I seemed to be—was Reno the Frightened. Reno the Cowardly. Then I thought of the real reason I got the marks; the part I had never told anyone, and rarely even admitted to myself. I didn't get them to be cool, not to make a statement, not even for an agreement to a bloodthirsty boss. It had been a punishment for myself. I would look at them every day, knowing I was the cowardly murderer I had always claimed to be. All I ever really wanted to do—the whole reason I got them—was to slowly murder myself. I would have done it, too, if it hadn't been for Avera. And I swore to myself that if she pulled through, I would make it up to her. I wouldn't hate myself anymore. But I would stare at myself every day, challenging myself to do one more thing to make her happy; to defy the marked man in the mirror. It was the least I could do for the woman that gave me sanity.**_

Cloud and Tifa were one of the last few couples to arrive at the party. Tifa had taken a little longer getting ready than normal. It felt strange to walk right through the front doors of a building Rufus Shinra had once owned. Perhaps even a bit sad, in a way. Everyone knew Rufus wasn't truly evil—just clinically insane. But along with the insane died true evil…Hojo.

It was no special occasion, just something the president of the NEC decided to do at the last minute. Cloud's eyes shifted to the plaque just above his head with an uneasy sigh: "NEW ERA COMING—Second Chances for Today and Tomorrow."

"Come on, Cloud," She said, pulling him along. "We're missing our own party."

They entered the main hall while the president of the NEC was making his grand speech on how they were making progress in processing solar energy—that it would save the planet's Mako reserve and keep the lifestream supplied while at the same time providing clean, efficient energy for the world's masses. They were surprised to see the president's new appearance: tailored black suit and blue, clean oxford; his fire-red hair was now considerably shorter—while it retained the same pizzazz about his face and the crown of his head, the pony-tail was gone; his goggles were still there. "Ah! Way to show up an hour and a half late, Cloud!" He shouted to them in the middle of a sentence. The whole crowd turned to look at them. Tifa's face went beet red. "Ladies and gentleman—I give you the planet's Mister Hero."

Everyone applauded. Tifa tried to make herself invisible beneath her husband's arm.

Reno smirked at them. "Yeah, yeah, that's enough. Try the snacks. It's amazing the kind of food you're able to afford when you're the president of the NEC." Everyone laughed, and Reno didn't wait to be adjourned before he jumped off the platform and swaggered up to Cloud. "So, hero, what's up?"

"What do you mean?" Tifa asked, taking a defensive expression to his tone.

"Come on! I spent hundreds of dollars for you to come visit your sister and your niece, and you don't even have the decency to show up on time. I'm hurt, yo!"

He sighed in return. _"What is the world coming to when they let someone like Reno be president of a major cooperation?"_ "Tifa's not feeling well," Cloud stated, flatly. "And I didn't choose to rush her."

"Is it going to be a girl or boy, do you think?" Reno asked.

Tifa shot Cloud an alarmed look. This was apparently news to them.

"Aw, come on. Trust me; I'm Cetra, remember? I got the mad radar skills. I can sense a woman with a Cetra kid two weeks in." He popped an hors d'oeuvre in his mouth, munching around the lump.

They gave him hard stares.

"Okay, don't believe me. You'll see." He swallowed hard and grabbed another handful of the appetizers. "Don' see the press. Must be after my wife. You wanna see her, hero?"

Cloud shot him a look at the nickname, but Tifa nodded.

They cut their way all the way through the former Shinra building. It felt strange to them to be able to go anywhere without any security keys or alarms or soldiers around every corner. The elevator dropped to basement level. Tifa looked a little wan at the whole ride. Reno made this deliberately worse by offering her the hors d'oeuvres in his hands. "Told you," he said as she refused them almost vehemently.

Stepping off the elevator, Reno shoved the rest of the food in his mouth and nodded at Tseng and Rude, who were standing at the doorway. "They in there?"

Rude nodded. "I think she's annoying them."

"Oh, good."

He swung open the lab doors with both hands, waltzing in at camera flashes and microphones. The press had indeed found their way to Avera. But when the president walked through the door, they abandoned the first lady and child to focus on him. They looked frustrated—apparently Avera had paid absolutely no attention to their questions….as usual. "Mr. President…." They called. He held out his hands in true, practiced presidential decorum. "You are free to wander anywhere in the facility of course…" He smirked, tossing a look at Cloud before continuing. "Except for here. The president needs some romantic time with the First Lady. My men will show you to the snack bar." He stepped aside as Tseng and Rude took over, showing the way out. "Try the little pizza crackers," he called.

Cloud shook his head hopelessly. Reno was definitely not the typical president.

They filtered out, one by one, some feebly making an attempt to speak again before getting a gentle push from Rude and Tseng. "Avera?" Reno called.

She didn't look up. She was one of many lab coats in the room, but she was hovering over a microscope. Her baby was strapped to her by a green sheet fashioned into a sling. Her hair was considerably shorter, and she was wearing diagnostic glasses, again. Her right arm held the red-headed baby while her left adjusted a slide. "I need a deeper cut," she shouted to the closest technician. "Make it point two-five mm." She felt Reno's hand on her back and turned to him quickly. "Hey, babe."

They smacked each other on the mouth before baby realized daddy had entered, and began kicking and wriggling.

"You're making her baby-sit and work at the same time?" Tifa asked, in disbelief.

"You kiddin' me?" He replied, taking his child from her. "She never stops. That's why our second isn't on the way, yet."

She shot him a sarcastic look. "You _know_ that isn't the truth, Turkey."

He gave her a mirrored mischevious look before turning to Cloud. "What do you think, eh? I think she sort of looks like me." When Cloud didn't comment, he gave the fat little arm a shake at him. "Huh? Doesn't she?"

Cloud took a good look at the baby girl. A tuft of red hair stuck almost straight up on her head. As she stared at Cloud, her blue eyes crossed and she smiled, sticking her fingers in her mouth and drooling. She wavered unsteadily back and forth. "Yep," he answered. "It's uncanny how much you actually do."

The president didn't catch this and took to making excited faces at her. She cooed loudly, and retaliated by grabbing a fistful of her father's long bangs and pulling sharply. "Ow…Jeez….ouch!"

Avera turned to her microscope again. She simply reached behind her and dislodged the infant's hand from her father's hair.

Right about that time, Rude walked in again. "The situation's taken care of," he announced.

Reno was rubbing his forehead, and managed to hold the child away before she could try for it again. "Here, hold this for me," he told Rude, handing him his kid.

Rude looked pained. "I hate this job," he muttered, walking off.

"Yo, Cloud. Come here; I want to talk to you about a job I have for you."

"Not interested."

"Oh, come on. Don't be like that. I'm not Shinra, for crying out loud!"

"Mr. Shinra would have never made me babysit," Rude chimed in.

Reno gave him a passing glance before ignoring him and looking back at Cloud. "Okay, look. It's like this. Things are better and all with the Cetra rebuilding program and the WRO now working for New Era Coming, right?" He got no comment from Cloud. "Anyway, the whole thing is, despite our best efforts, there are still pockets of crime and violence around. Especially in Midgar; it seems to be a haven for all the ugly bruisers in this world."

Tifa took Cloud's arm. "And?" She was still slightly green from the elevator ride. Reno took this in with a double-take before he continued.

"You're Mister Hero; ex-Soldier! So you're good, right? We're appointing a Leader of Justice in each major city. We were hoping you'd take the job for Midgar."

Cloud shot Tifa a somewhat startled look. "What?"

Avera turned about this time. Over the past year, she and Cloud had made it a point to get closer. Surprisingly, Cloud—who had never agreed with the whole siblings from Jenova concept—had gotten attached to her relatively quickly. They had shared stories of the glory days and all the many battles they had gotten into. Apparently, for instance, she had never told Reno about the time she "kicked Don Corneo's ass" after he had made a pass at her at the bar in Wutai. Two days later, Reno killed him—with no knowledge that the bruises the Don was sporting on his face came from his girlfriend's boot. Cloud had told her about Zack and Soldier, about Aeris—how he thought he couldn't let anyone else close to him after that—and then Tifa. He spoke about the oath he had made when he planted his Buster Sword in the earth. Needless to say, they were now close. They trusted each other. Now was no exception. "Cloud," she said softly, "You're perfect. We know we can rely on you to do the right thing, whether it be in NEC's best interests or not. We know you'll take the battle the planet is fighting seriously and be an advocate for it's defense. And if we're talking about skill—there's no match."

He seemed to consider this for a moment, looking at Tifa. It may be dangerous, that was for certain. Then again, there was nothing they could throw at him that would have equaled dying—twice. It seemed obvious Aeris and Zack weren't going to let him invade the lifestream just yet. "Well?" He asked Tifa.

She looked at Reno.

Reno realized after a few moments it was his cue to do more convincing. "You'd have full support of the former Turks."

"Rude, Tseng and Elena?"

"And Reeve, yes."

"Aren't they your personal bodyguards now?"

"Naw. Security, maybe. Babysitters sometimes…." He ignored another piercing gaze from Rude who was over in the corner. "….but if you need them, they're yours."

"Is that it?"

"No! Like Avera mentioned, big business can go astray. Whether it's beneficial to our company or not, you have permission to do anything you can to ensure the future of this planet and the Cetra." He scratched his head. "Oh, yeah!" He snapped his fingers in revelation. "And you'll be cooperating with the other Leaders of Justice from the different cities."

Cloud shifted his weight to the other foot. "Who are they?"

"Well, we don't have all of them lined up, but the ones we do have, you already like. Yuffie's the leader of Wutai. That red mutt is the leader of Cosmo Canyon." (Avera elbowed him in the stomach for this disrespectful mention of Nanaki). "Vincent is in your old hometown. Barrett went to Corel. There's others to cover for, naturally, but you can help with that, too. Anyone you suggest, ya know…."

"And you can have complete access to all our files. Anything you want, you can get to. If you can't, ask us and we'll get them for you. If we hesitate too much, you can quit."

Tifa's eyebrows shot up on her forehead at that bold proposal.

Cloud hesitated. "But I…."

Avera's voice was soft. "You can do it."

Her husband paused for a minute before he took a step towards Cloud cockily. He tilted his head back with a smirk on his face and stuck a hand in his pocket. His eyes glimmered. "Yeah, think about it, Cloud. Together, we can rebuild the Cetra."

Cloud and Reno met eyes. A mutual memory passed between them. And suddenly, Cloud did something very rare. He broke into a full grin. "I'm in."

Tifa and Avera clapped and Reno slapped him on the shoulder. "So I guess I'm stuck with you as long as I'm president, huh? Damn. Anyway, I guess I'll act cheerful since you're my brother-in-law and all."

His face fell again and Reno laughed.

"Come on, let's go celebrate, partner. We'll get seafood….well, unless Tifa's too pregnant for seafood….the iodine can be pretty bad….we'll get Elena to watch Sharla for us."

Tifa covered her mouth with a smile. "I thought that was Rude's job."

"Can't." Avera added merrily. "He has a big date tonight, don't you, Rude?"

Rude didn't say anything. He was trying desperately to find Elena to pass Sharla off. The baby kept making passes at his sunglasses, and he was beginning to get annoyed.

"Who?" Cloud asked in surprise.

Her eyes shone. "A little ninja from Wutai."

"Yuffie!" Cloud and Tifa asked together.

Rude's head twisted at the sound of her name and looked fairly disappointed that she wasn't anywhere around. Reno laughed his head off. "He cracks me up," he nearly shouted, bowling over. "He does that every damn time."

"What about your guests?" Tifa asked.

"Them?" He was still chuckling. "Don't worry, we'll sneak out the back door. They won't notice us." He stuck a thumb behind him, and then turned to follow the direction he indicated.

Avera smiled at Tifa, pulling off her lab coat to reveal a beautiful black party dress. "Reno never changes."

"You know it, babe," he said loudly. "Let's go."

Obediently, they followed. Rude pulled his PHS while they left, desperately trying to get hold of Elena.

It was a fairly short walk down the wide, dimly-lit hallway to the world outside. They paused on the sidewalk, looking up at the sky. "Looks like rain," Tifa commented.

There was a long pause. Reno didn't budge from looking straight up into the clouds. Thunder rumbled in the distance, low and pleasant. His hand snaked over and held Avera's. She smiled, looking up with him. "It doesn't matter," he finally said. "I sort of like the rain."

----- ------ ------

Well, that's the end! Thanks for reading! (The next statements are my own viewpoints only.) There's been a lot of debate on whether Reno is a good guy or a bad guy. I can defiantly see potential for him being a bad guy (with the whole Sector 7 incident and all), but I think he's got more good in him than bad. At first in the game, he was just an enemy I had to beat. Then he kept showing up and began to get a little annoying, but provided interesting entertainment, too. I thought, "They never give up, do they?" When he killed Don Corneo in Wutai with the famous line, "…because it's our job…" I began to think he was rather cool. A glimmer came to my eye and I thought, "I sort of like the Turks." And when he gave Cloud the choice to fight or walk when he invaded Shinra headquarters in the end, I couldn't help but think, "This is one really AWESOME dude!" And he stands now as my favorite Final Fantasy character. I wanted to present him as someone trying to discover who he really was. Confused, but just as sarcastic as ever. And while he's arrogant, clumsy, and a bit clueless at times, I always thought he needed a good taming agent—like Avera. This is my rendition of Reno. Hope you all enjoyed it!

;-)


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